Smile
by matthiasc
Summary: Roderich loves Antonio's smile. Depicts the two's growing relationship as they get to know, comfort, and console each other. Modern AU, with quite a few side pairings. More than 7x expanded from the original, with more content to come, and with tons more scenes.
1. Ch 1

_Smile_

Note: The 'special extra love' scenes'll begin later on in chapter 7, and persist until the end. So in a way... You could say that this story is rated T until then.

**A/N:** _An underrated pairing in my opinion... Especially since they were kind of 'married' in canon, but... Anyways, enjoy this bit of fluff plus some more 'wholesome' stuff, and awkward!Austria + oblivious!Spain. Human names used, AU. Characters are in their final year of high school. Also quite a lot of PruHun, a tiny hint of GerIta, a bit of PolLith, some USUK, and some Franada. Maybe this will make you fall in love with the pairing =) They have one/some cute moment/moments in the anime, anyways._

* * *

><p>Sitting by a softly glowing fire, he brought his hands to a halt in the dimly lit room. Neat, manicured fingers ghosted over the ivory keys before settling gently as he cast a tired smile to his exhausted boyfriend, who lay snoring quietly amidst the occasional crackles of the orange flames. He began to muse to himself as he slowly stood, making care to push his mahogany stool in with as little sound as possible, before he settled by the Spaniard, who lay in a heap across the hearth.<p>

Sighing, the Austrian teen struggled slightly, letting out a little huff of effort, before he managed to carry Antonio carefully towards the black leather couch. _Maybe one day we'll have our own couch… _With a little exhale of breath, he placed his snoozing boyfriend as gently as he could on top of the cozy couch, before he reached for a nearby, thick cotton blanket and placed it over the sleeping boy with care. He took a few more moments staring at Antonio's face, his tanned skin and tousled chestnut hair glowing from the fire's warm light. He idly placed a hand on top of the other teen's messy hair and stroked it softly. It was still slightly wet from the long, long shower he had taken after his team had lost the game. _He seems so peaceful right now..._

Antonio let out a little whine as Roderich stroked his hair absentmindedly, perhaps from the lack of the intricate piano music that he admired, or perhaps from the feel of his caress and the fuzzy quilt.

Roderich usually didn't play the piano unless he had to until recently; he liked to be praised and admired by his Spanish boyfriend. Nowadays, the Austrian loved to play the piano.

Ever since he had been a child, his mother had forced him into lessons with the regal instrument. He could distinctly remember several times when he had attacked his eager and good-natured teacher, Mr. Roma, who laughed easily as if he was not getting kicked by a pouting 4 year old, as if he were used to it.

In spite of that, his mother forced him to continue his lessons, as his temperament began to smoothen and his teacher began to brighten at the realization that his pupil was naturally gifted and quick to learn. With only a few, tiny lapses in his cool demeanour at exceptional occasions, he prided himself on being a proper gentlemen nowadays, with the necessary etiquette, tact, eloquence and talent of one. After his mother had passed away, he remembered playing an original piece for her at the funeral. It had been one of the only times he had played it to truly express his emotions; it had been cathartic and cleansing for him. Yet until recently, he had not played like he had at the funeral, letting his emotions guide him to produce elegant and complicated songs.

He remembered that day when his disdain for the piano, despite his skill, had easily disappeared, only to be filled with weeks of confusion, excitement, anxiety and risks. He only began to truly enjoy it when... _When..._ He swallowed. _When he said those words..._

_"Hey Roddy, you play the piano pretty good, aha! It was nice to listen to. See ya~!"_

His mind replayed the tape of the past few months' incidences in his head, as he had often done before when he became lost in thought.

* * *

><p>He had been practicing one of his original compositions one insignificant day after school, as he waited for his step-sister Elizaveta to finish her Art club responsibilities. He brought his hands to a sudden halt, before letting them fall onto the keys gracelessly with a frustrated sigh. He was never satisfied with how he played the piece; a few days of practice were all that he had left before he played at a fancy restaurant for his parents' — well, his father and step-mother's — anniversary at a high class restaurant. His step-mother had gushed when she had heard him play, and was ecstatic at Elizaveta's offer for Roderich to play for their anniversary.<p>

He didn't mind... He kept telling himself that. After all, the woman went out of her way to spend as much time as she could with him, and seemed to be genuinely kind and interested in him and his father. And after all, if his father was happy, how could he hold that against him, or take it away from him? And so that was how he found himself nodding and smiling politely to his step-mother, who had asked excitedly how the composition was forming to be. "It's complete, I merely need to practice a few more times... If you'll excuse me." He made his way to his room and closed the door, laying on his bed just thinking. He couldn't see any star light from his shaded windows; only car lights blared and faded as traffic moved by the street. He felt his indigo eyes grow heavy, his lids beginning to close, as he watched the random display of lights on his ceiling, before he was lulled to an uneasy sleep by the crude symphony of lights.

He was brought out of his thoughts of how he found himself in the empty music room way after the end of school when he heard a cheerful voice pipe up in the silence. "Hey! Roddy! Whatcha doin', practicing? I've never seen you stay after school this late ever." Only a few clubs and hardcore sports teams were eager or passionate enough to stay this far late after school. Antonio Carriedo was both an eager and passionate soccer star. He was their school team's star shooter. Paired with the aloof and haughty British defenseman, who many of the times successfully intercepted the opponent's ball, the duo had made their team maintain an outstanding season thus far. If he recalled correctly, they had qualified for a nationwide tournament, and had a chance at winning the championship title.

Remembering himself, he shook his head and tried to focus on the tanned boy's face in front of him. He noticed that the Spaniard seemed to have just showered, if his dripping hair was any indication. Beads of water sank to form damp, dark circles on his red shirt, which proudly displayed the flag of Spain on the front. His clothes were fresh and clean, and he had a sports bag casually tossed over one shoulder, a water bottle in the other hand. "Uh... It's Roderich. A-And... O-Oh. I'm... Just practicing for a recital of sorts, while I wait for Elizaveta." The other boy didn't respond, and merely stood there silently.

Confused, Roderich decided to return his focus back to what he had originally been doing.

He coughed, and turned his attention back to the grand piano. His hands hesitated briefly, before they began to flow and a soft and intricate melody flooded through the air. As he turned his head slightly, he suddenly jumped back in surprise at the proximity of the other teen, who was watching him intently and curiously. "Wha—!"

He tripped over the piano bench clumsily, and fell onto his rear. "Oof..."

An olive-coloured arm extended and offered a hand to the boy on the ground, who accepted it slowly, with a muttered 'Thanks...' before he pulled himself up fully. Roderich brushed his uniform and pants off, all too aware that the other boy was watching him. "So, uh... You're pretty good with your hands, aren't you?"

Roderich blushed to the roots of his auburn hair. _H-how ind-decent! _His eyes darted around wildly across the empty room before they rested on the smiling teen accusingly. "P-Pervert!" He let out pathetically.

He merely received a dazed, confused look in response, along with a 'Huh?'

He felt himself get even more flustered. He could feel his ears burning as he berated himself inwardly for thinking that the other boy had been perverse. Ignoring the voice in his mind that snarked, _Hypocrite, _he hastily he stammered, "N-Never mind... I was... just joking..."

At that, the lean soccer player laughed maybe a bit _too_ much, doubled over in a fit of sniggers. "Oh, haha! That's funny, that's really funny~! I never understand Francis's jokes, he always makes those kinds of jokes. Gil says I'm dumb, but I prefer the word 'slow'. I never would have thought that you'd be the type to make lewd jokes! Haha~!" Roderich shifted his weight from one foot to the next, unsure of how to respond. Antonio paused for a bit, before he began carefully, "You know, Roddy, you don't talk a lot... Why's that?"

Roderich sighed, and murmured, "I don't know. Some people like to talk, others don't. ...So when are you going to leave me be?"

He received a good natured laugh in response. "Aww, don't worry, I'm not leaving for a while! I heard this pretty music and lo and behold it was you! Anyways, I wanted to chat for a bit! It's our senior year, but I barely know anything about you!"

Roderich opened his mouth in protest. He really didn't like talking with others often, especially guys. While he could make do with talking to women, and treating them politely and properly, he found that his brain tended to fail him when he engaged with other boys. He didn't deny the fact that he was very much positively gay, but that didn't mean he had to go out and date like everybody else his age. Before he could start, Antonio overrode him. "So, what's this recital for!" It seemed more like an excited statement than a question.

He coughed and readjusted his glasses. "It's for my father and step-mother's anniversary."

The seated teen received an animated voice eagerly replying, "Ooh, that's nice!"

"I suppose so..." _At least someone's happy._

"Hm?" The taller teen leaned in closer inquisitively. "You smell good. Why aren't you excited about your recital? You're so talented!"

He felt his blush return full on, and he averted his eyes in embarrassment. Antonio threw out compliments like that to everyone all the time: girls, boys, teachers, strangers... It surely was nothing special. He shook his head, his stubborn curl bouncing from side to side like a loose spring. _Don't be foolish._

Roderich shrugged noncommittally, and smoothly changed the topic. "Well, why are you here so late, Antonio?" He already knew the answer though.

"I like hearing you say my name."

"E-Excuse me?!" Roderich couldn't believe his ears. Was the sweetheart soccer hunk of the Bad Touch Trio flirting with him?

Not noticing Roderich conflicted face, whose mind was reeling, he continued, "Well, I was just practicing with the soccer team, y'know? We might be able to win the championship this year... That'd be really cool!"

_Ah... He must have meant nothing by it, _he thought to himself defeatedly. _After all, he just said it so casually... _His shoulders visibly sagged. The Austrian forcibly brought himself out of his reverie, determined to not be sidetracked by segue thoughts. He randomly picked a topic and chose to flow with it. "U-Um, so... I guess you're going to try and be a soccer star when you grow up?" _Or a model. It'd be n-nice to see you on billboards as an underwear model… _His cheeks burned, tinged with red.

Antonio sighed and ran a hand through his unruly locks. "Haha, no, I actually... I want to work with kids. I love them~! They're so cute and innocent."

Roderich raised an eyebrow in surprise. That was interesting… But it suited the cheery, kind boy. "Well, how about you, Roddy! Gonna be the next Bozart von E-Z-Bake-Oven?"

Roderich facepalmed. He corrected indignantly, "It's Mozart, and it's Beethoven. And no."

The taller teen shrugged indifferently, and then asked, "Well, what do you want to do then?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, why not piano? You're great at it!" Antonio beamed at him with the cheer of a carefree child, his emerald eyes shining. Roderich let out a breath, his insides squirming from all the talking they'd been doing. After a few moments of silence, Antonio began seriously, "I used to not like soccer either, you know… I kind of just stuck with it because my mom put me in it. But now... I kind of... Well, I'm glad I was put into soccer, that I've become as good as I am now. I mean, it helped me realize what I want to do in life!"

He was red in the face from rambling, his mouth moving as a blur. "I volunteered as a helper at a soccer camp, and all these kids were so impressed with me. It was really fun teaching them how to get better and have fun! So now I know that... That's what I want to do in life. Work with kids, in some way... Like a kindergarten teacher." His speech was brought to an unceremonious halt by some buzzing in his pants.

"_Díga_? Oh, hey! ...Oh, okay. Oh, can I bring someone! ...Why not?" Roderich noted that he was pouting, his mouth curled downwards, his dimples clearly showing. _Still looks hot with a pout... _"Pleeease! ...Really? Oh, thank you! Okay, yeah, see you soon~!" He hung up and pocketed his phone in his jeans pocket. He turned and faced the shorter teen. "Hey, my friend Francis is holding a party! Wanna come?"

He sighed as he shook his head. "I apologize... But I can't. I still have to rehearse, and—"

He smiled, but his eyes seemed to dim with disappointment. "Oh, no, of course, I understand! Well, uh... Good luck with your recital, whenever that is! And... uh..." He paused, before he continued to babble. "Hey Roddy, you play the piano pretty good, aha! It was nice to listen to. See ya~!"

He left the room in a run. Roderich watched him go, and didn't realize he was softly smiling until he sat down once again and began to practice diligently.

* * *

><p>The next time they talked was 6 days later, which was 6 days of too much waiting for Roderich's liking. Roderich was impatiently waiting outside the art room, his dress shoes pacing on the school floor. He could hear Romano cursing at Antonio, while Ludwig's deep voice tentatively tried to settle the angry Italian down. Subconsciously he made his way into the room as he heard a familiar and welcome Spanish voice.<p>

"Lovi! Don't fidget so much, it's hard to hug you properly!"

Inside, he saw Antonio good naturedly hugging Romano from behind, and pulling on his stubborn, spirally curl. "Haha, I never get why this curl's so stubborn." Beside him, Feliciano was happily painting, while Elizaveta gushed about how talented he was.

"No, n-not there! A-Ack!" He let out a whimpered cry reluctantly, and his face flushed even more than it already had.

"Ah, Lovi, you're so cute!"

"Don't call me Lovi, it's Romano, damn it! You tomato bast—"

"Romano, don't say things like that. You're upsetting Feli." Ludwig let out sternly, before he turned back to watch Feliciano paint admiringly.

Romano huffed, and pushed the playful Spaniard's hands away.

"Oh! Heya, Roddy~! What's the news on your recital?"

"Don't ignore me, you tomato freak!"

"I'm not ignoring you, Roma..." Antonio absentmindedly patted Romano's hair fondly, who slapped his hand away and huffed his way back to his stool and painting beside his brother. Antonio shrugged, and then fixed his attention solely towards Roderich curiously.

He stiffened as he felt the other teen's intense gaze at him. They were less than a feet apart. He felt his face and ears burn from all the blood that flooded his face with a reddish tinge. Suddenly, an audible c_lick _was heard. A few feet away, a giddy Elizaveta clutched a camera in one hand, and pinched her bloody nose with the other. "It's for the yearbook!" She yelled as she ran into the art office and nearly slipped on a few drops of her blood, before locking it so that she could email it to herself safely.

"...Huh...?" Antonio looked lost.

Roderich muttered derisively under his breath, "More like yaoi book..." Ludwig, who was watching Feli paint contentedly, couldn't help but overhear Roderich's muttering. The usually stoic teen blushed really red, his pale face colouring in a rare display of embarrassment. His widened eyes met Roderich's amused eyes briefly, and the large, built teen shifted uneasily. He diverted his eyes back to Feli, who had the tip of the paint brush between his teeth as he paused in thought. The innocent boy's pink tongue rolled around the brush absentmindedly.

The German boy let out an aroused groan, before he felt his nose begin to drip blood steadily. He shot up, alarmed, with a deep baritone yelp, before he ran off hastily, out of the art room, before Feli could see what had happened.

The Italian teen raised his head in confusion from the ruckus, and looked around, baffled. "Hey... Where's Ludwig?"

"Who cares where that potato bast—"

"Romano!" Feliciano moved his head in the direction of his twin, so that his closed eyes regarded Romano's scoldingly, and frowned.

"—ard is?" Romano scowled, his eyebrows furrowing as he fumed at his twin, before he huffed and began to paint with renewed aggression.

His twin persisted his chastising. "Romano... Remember what grandpa said, you shouldn't use bad language! You shouldn't need him, me, and Ludwig to tell you that!" He received a pointed glare in response.

Shrugging, Feli ceased his inactivity and began to elegantly stroke his brush across the canvas smoothly.

Roderich watched the scene unfurl with interest, before he returned his attention to the still-confused Antonio. The Austrian teen shook his head and sighed. "Anyways... Well, the recital was two days ago. It... went alright... I suppose."

Antonio peered at him questioningly. "Hm? What's wrong?" At receiving no response, he continued, "Um... You and Elizaveta are step-siblings, right?" Roderich nodded in response, wondering what point the Spaniard was trying to make. "...Is it something to do with your step-parent...?"

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, his mouth open in awe from the other's deduction. "How did you…?"

Antonio grinned sheepishly. "Know? I'm just a genius! No, actually, I just guessed, haha! Well, when you talked with me before and now today... You never seemed keen on the recital."

The Austrian offered, "...I... guess... It's just that... My step-mom tries really hard, I know... She always puts an effort to get to know me and spend time with me. But... I could never replace her with my mom."

"...But you shouldn't think of it as replacing! It's like..." He cast his eyes around the room hastily in thought, before they settled over at the two twins, who were both painting quietly. One was humming happily as he painted a picture of a stunning blond-haired, blue-eyed, shirtless man, his muscles gleaming, in a field of flowers and kittens, while the other was furiously slashing his brush across his canvas, revealing a picture of an axe and sword in a bleeding tomato and potato. "It's like... You know, who you're attracted to. Like... I used to like babysitting Feli more, and then I realized how cute Lovi was! But, I still liked babysitting them both at different points in time. Or, I used to have a crush on this one guy, but now... Uh... ...You see?"

Roderich nodded his head slowly. _And now... who? _"Um... And now...?"

Antonio averted his green eyes and hastily said, "Uh... Rod-Robby! Y-Yeah, Robby! You know, Robin Hood? He's c-cute and he tries so hard to get Batman to like him! ...At least, I think that's what the story is..."

Amused, Roderich felt his mouth quirk in a small smile. "That's not the story, and they're both fictional. You know that, don't you?"

Antonio laughed, maybe a bit hysterically. "Of course I do! It's just... In real life, I don't have eyes for anyone but yo—rbelinda! Yeah... ...You know, that Mexican transfer student?"

The Austrian felt his stomach sink in. He didn't know this Yorbelinda girl, but he suddenly selfishly and bitterly wished that she'd transfer back to Mexico. He mumbled glumly back in response, "I guess you're right... I guess it'll... just take time..."

Antonio sighed. "Well, even still, it's nothing to be down about. Give yourself some slack, it will take time to get used to your step-mom. It's hard to adjust, I bet... ...Well, it's not like I can talk. I wouldn't know."

Though he was touched that the Spanish boy tried to cheer him up, he couldn't bring himself to do anything but laugh hollowly before he made his way to the art office and knocked. "Eliza? Let's go, Father and yo—Our parents are waiting..."

She opened the door, revealing a bloody handkerchief which she brought down to her side and pocketed. Thankfully, her nose had stopped bleeding, it seemed. In her other hand she held a binder carefully as if it contained something precious and delicate. He sighed, and motioned for her to follow him. He grabbed her backpack, and hoisted it onto his back. He visibly sank under the combined weight of his own backpack plus his sister's, but he continued on.

Almost instantly, Antonio sprang up from his chair, and said in an unconvincing tone that oddly enough left no room for argument, "Oh, how convenient! I was leaving right now too! H-Here, let me help you!" After much poking and prodding, Roderich reluctantly let the Spanish boy carry his sister's backpack, but refused to allow the eager boy to take his own backpack off of his back. Roderich missed the gleam in his sister's eyes.

They made their way out the school to the parking lot, and reached a shiny Mercedes car. They placed their bags into the trunk, before Antonio ran off cheerfully. "...Thank you!" Roderich called to the boy's retreating figure. The running teen turned around and grinned.

"You're welcome! ...And… Uh, do... D'you want to come get a coffee with me...? O-Or tea! O-Or alcohol even, but I don't really drink, especially after that one time when—"

Roderich felt a jab from behind him, so he acquiesced. He cut the rambling boy off. "A-Alright... ...Um... ...Just us two?"

Antonio hastily replied, "No, no, of course not! That'd be like a d-date! Uh... Not that that's bad! Urm, I mean... Unless you want only us two! I'm okay with that too!"

Roderich felt himself flush as he heard not-so-subtle excited squeals behind him. "Uh... We can... g-go with others. I mean, it's not l-like we're dating or anything..."

He received a wide grin that made his heart melt in return. "Okay, so... I'll call you?" The tanned boy received a curt nod in response, and he felt his face beam. He ran off along the sidewalk, his eyes shining happily, away from the Mercedes which moved in the opposite direction, and headed home eagerly and excitedly. He couldn't wait to tell his friends.

* * *

><p>"Wait a minute." The French teen made the word 'minute' sound extremely French. "So", he drawled lazily, "You like this guy, who's <em>obviously<em> gay, and you invite him out to this..." He waved his hand dismissively. "...get-together thing at a _movie theatre. _With a bunch of couples... excluding the two of you. Is that correct?"

Antonio felt his stomach clench as he nodded nervously. He didn't know where Francis was going with this.

"Alright", the other teen sneered, "I think I understand. You're an idiot!"

"Huh? B-But... Everyone likes going to the movie theatres!" Antonio felt himself splutter indignantly.

His German friend Gilbert piped up, "Sorry, 'Ton, but Francis is right. Movie theatres are just for making out and sometimes more." He wiggled his eyebrows.

Francis sighed theatrically. "Of course, of course... It pains me, but I am always right. Now, this might be difficult, but I'm sure we can help you. Perhaps... We can use this to our advantage." He sat back onto Antonio's bed thoughtfully. Gilbert, bored, started spinning around in the Spaniard's desk chair. Antonio felt a little glimmer of hope. _Maybe they can help me get together with Roderich!_

"Okay... I have an idea. We can bring mon cher, and Gilbert can bring his petite amie. We'll have to amp up ze romance factor... Perhaps a romantic drama?"

"Nah... They're too sappy. Let's watch a horror film. Maybe he'll leap into your arms!" Gilbert cackled with a wicked grin.

The blond teen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hm... That's not a bad idea. I'd bet a bottle of my favourite Parisian salon-level quality shampoo that he scares easily." Ignoring Gilbert's hysterical laughter and teasing, he turned towards the blanching Antonio, and continued, "Okay. Here's ze plan We shall sit in such a fashion so zat you two are sandwiched between Gilbert and Eliza, and me and Matthew. That should 'elp reinforce the notion that you are both 5th wheels. Spare tires _always_ pair up. _Always._"

Antonio felt his eye twitch at the logic. "Um... Not really. In _Friends_, Phoebe didn't get together with Joey, and —"

He felt a soft pillow make impact with his face. "Idiot! I am ze love master, do not doubt me! Now listen. It will be dark. To your right will be Gilbert and Eliza, making out. To your left will be me and Matthew, making out. Directly beside you will be Roderich, likely cowering in fear and in need of comfort. Now..." Francis paused and looked at Antonio squarely. "This is important. I know you're... scared of horror movies, to say the least. You must not show your fear! Roderich needs a _man_, _un homme_, you understand? After you comfort him with some soothing physical caresses, you shall ask him if he wishes to leave with you. Likely he will be scared and confused, frightened from the movie, and feeling alone from the lack of lips upon his own. He'll likely be delighted zat you have rescued him from the grim fate of the horror film and the cold prospect of forever being alone, and so shall of course leave with you."

The Spanish teen bit his lip uncertainly. "I don't know... I feel like it'd be too easy for something to go wrong, that it's not going to be that easy..."

Francis laughed, his golden hair gracefully lilting. "Mon ami, do not worry. Me and Gilbert have your back. Everything shall go fine."

The green-eyed teen felt his insides start to settle. He began to feel that things would work out exactly as planned.


	2. Ch 2

It couldn't have gone more wrong. Antonio had suggested that they watch a movie, just as Francis had told him to, and he had brought the other members of the Bad Touch Trio along. Along with Gilbert came Elizaveta, who had insisted emphatically that she be allowed to attend, as girlfriend of a Trio member.

"Otherwise, why is Alfred allowed to come?"

She didn't hear a quiet, timid voice behind her murmur, "It's Matthew..."

And so, the 6 of them found themselves watching the latest horror film in theatres, to Gilbert and Francis's delight. And that was how Antonio found himself beside a tense Austrian on one side, and a distracted Francis on the other, who was pressing sensual kisses to his boyfriend, who cowered in his seat. As the music grew louder, Antonio and Matthew whimpered. Francis moved to wrap his arms around his boyfriend protectively, and he began to place kisses all over his neck. Matthew began to moan in delight. To his right he heard Gilbert cackling, and saw Elizaveta looking bored.

She had been so excited when they had entered the theatre, but it seemed like she had been waiting for something. While she was entertained up until now by watching Francis and Matthew and writing down things, she eventually grew bored, as if she gave up waiting for whatever she had been waiting for.

As the film began, Antonio couldn't help himself. He'd covered his eyes with his hands, peeking between his fingers, and cringing in his seats as the prologue played out. Beside him, he could see Roderich watching calmly, eating some popcorn like he wasn't disturbed or frightened in the slightest. As Antonio had jerkily asked Roderich if he'd wanted to leave "S-Since it m-might be t-too sc-scary for you!" _And me!_ He'd only received a raised eyebrow in return. _Crud! Tr-Try again!_

"U-Uh... I-I need your h-help!" Roderich turned to face him, confusion evident on his face. _He's so cute, but I'm so scared, ack._ "C-Can you come with me to the washroom! Like now!" It came out more as an exclamation. Roderich laughed, obviously amused. "Why would I do that? You can go by yourself. Besides, I wanna see what happens." He grabbed his cup and slurped before diving his hand back into his popcorn bag and focusing his attention back onto the screen.

Antonio tried to bring his attention back to the film too, but instead shrank back in horror and covered his eyes once more. _No! She's gonna_—_!_

He closed the peek-holes between his fingers, terrified, as the sound of an axe swinging down to cut human flesh resonated throughout the theatre. Gilbert guffawed and kicked the seat in front of him in a fit of sniggers. "Ahaha, it's soo fake! Just like the chick's breasts!" The German clutched his side as he continued to criticize the movie in wild laughter.

"...Ow... Big brother, someone's kicking my chair..."

Antonio watched the scene in front of him play out in interest. It was better than watching that scary movie, that was for sure. And... It was better than watching Matthew and Francis practically hump each other on the seats as they heatedly made out. He heard a familiar Swiss voice snarl in a venomous tone, "Stop or you're dead, Beilschmidt."

Gilbert stilled his flailing legs and turned, then narrowed his crimson eyes, which glared at the Swiss boy provokingly. "Oh yeah?" He challenged, and began to kick the chair even more.

"Ow! Brother..."

"Okay, that's it!" Vash growled and flung himself over to wrestle with Gilbert, who was snorting, overcome with mirth. Little Lily watched the scene unfold with wide aquamarine eyes, while Elizaveta looked at her impeccable nails, bored. Antonio would have continued to watch them fight, but he heard a derisive huff beside him.

Roderich was fuming. "I was looking forward to watching this film. It figures that a rude buffoon would ruin a movie outing", he grumbled.

Antonio glanced over at Roderich's sister, and back at the enamored couple to the right of him. "Hey... Maybe we should just leave, Roddy, Lizzy?"

Elizabeth sighed bored, and rubbed her eyes. "'S'okay... Might as well get my money's worth..." She took out her cell phone and began to snatch pictures of Matthew and Francis whenever the light reflecting off the screen illuminated the theatre enough.

Roderich nodded with an exasperated "I'll just watch it myself another time", and so Antonio took his hand and led him out of the theatre. They went outside and just lay by the stairs of the building. He could hear Roderich pouting beside him, as the Austrian kicked imaginary stones. "The movie's not even halfway through and Gilbert manages to have made the ticket lady cry, bullied the cashier worker into giving him extra change and free popcorn, _and _he gets into a fight by antagonizing a little girl. I can't believe this!"

Antonio felt the words slip out of his mouth before he realized it. "You're cute when you're all flustered."

Roderich tensed and coughed awkwardly. "...Um..."

Antonio panicked, before he babbled, "Yeah, so are you coming or what? Let's go to that park I was talking about!"

Roderich rubbed his temples as he nodded, and began to follow the rambling boy in front of him who was waving his hands through the air and making all sorts of gestures. As he followed, he let out, "Um, anyways... I don't remember you mentioning a park..."

Back in the theatre, Elizaveta realized what an opportunity she had let up. _Fuck! _Inwardly she scolded herself. _Oops... I guess Gilbert's language's gotten to me more than I thought._ She sprang up from her seat, and ran out the theatre, before scrambling and stumbling to the front of the building complex. Once outside, she gasped and tried to catch her breath. Rising up, she looked all around. _Where are they? Over there maybe? ...No. By the_—_Oh, nope... Does this mean... that they've... _"...escaped _the_ BL Queen?" The words tumbled out of her mouth as she fumed and grabbed her hair angrily as if she were to rip it out, before she sank to the ground, defeated. _Noooo! My month's ruined! My OTP turned real... What will my blog and fanfiction fans say? They'll think I've been lying about the real life yaoi couple..._

* * *

><p>Antonio let out a sigh of content as he lay on his back, looking up at the stars in wonder. Beside him Roderich lay as well, after Antonio had convinced him to lie down as well. He glanced over to the Austrian, who seemed just as enthralled at the sight as he did himself, if not more so. His arms lay behind his head in a makeshift pillow, and he seemed totally relaxed.<p>

He heard Roderich speak up, "You know, I've always loved looking at the stars... It's a shame I can't see any most of the time."

He felt the words come out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "Why? You could just go somewhere where there _are _stars at night. My old home didn't have a good view, but luckily when we moved, I saw that my balcony has a really nice view!"

He heard Roderich shift onto his side and look at him. "You might be right..."

Again, Antonio felt his mouth open and ramble. He tended to do so when he was nervous. "I-I'd like to show you it! I-If you want, I mean, it's up to you. I could show you it... Sometime..."

Roderich glanced towards him and smiled lightly. "Sure." Antonio averted his eyes as his face burned red. Roderich let out a sigh as he continued his tirade from the outsides of the theatre. "Really, though... That movie had really good ratings from lots of people... And it's made by one of my favourite directors, too."

The Spanish teen felt himself blurt out, "I never really thought you'd be like this. I mean... With scary movies and all."

Roderich turned over slightly. "Haha... Thanks, I guess. I never thought you'd be scared of them either. If you thought that was scary, you should see some other movies I have on my laptop." Immediately his mind strayed over to those _other_ 'movies' that he had on his laptop, causing him to flush crimson. "Uh, I mean... I also have these other movies that aren't scary at all. They're really funny and... romantic..." _Great, I just had to say it, didn't I._ But instead of the rejection he'd been expecting, Antonio had merely grinned easily with an "I'd like that".

He shivered and turned back to face the stars. Automatically, Antonio reached for his jacket behind him, and moved to put it around the other boy's shoulders. "H-Here... Sit up."

Instead, Roderich stay lying, and glanced over at him. Their eyes connected, and Antonio couldn't find the will to move his eyes away. Roderich's eyes sparkled in the star light, a beautiful hue of a dazzling indigo. He felt his breath hitch as he felt Roderich begin to tug on the jacket softly, but Antonio didn't let go. They moved closer to each other, still lying on the grass. Antonio wrapped the jacket around Roderich, whose eyes were still looking at him, shining. Unwavering. Hopeful.

Unconsciously he felt himself inch closer to his crush. Roderich, too, fell in a daze and leaned forward slowly. Roderich licked his lips to moisten them. And suddenly Antonio couldn't wait any longer. He sprang forward and captured his lips in a sweet and passionate kiss.

* * *

><p>Elizaveta, after a few minutes of self-pity, reluctantly dragged herself back to the movie theatre. <em>It's probably more than half-way done by now...<em> Sighing as if she were homeless in a desert, and had to make the choice between food or water, she trudged back inside the theatre, morosely flashing her movie ticket to the attendant, before she let it float to the ground carelessly. _...I can't believe this... Now I probably won't be able to make a living from off of my blog..._

She started to slink back to her seat in the dark theatre. Her ears dully noted a woman — _Probably the sex-driven bombshell archetype who dies halfway through as she's having sex _— whose shameless cries of pleasure instantly turned into screams of horror as, presumably, she spotted the masked killer slowly making his way towards her and her boyfriend. Elizaveta felt a twinge of jealousy. _Even psychopaths can catch people in the act, but nooo, poor Elizaveta can't even do that when that's her breakfast, Christmas miracle, and birthday gift all in one. _Angrily, she shoved past the cuddling Matthew and Francis, and dropped herself into her seat beside Gilbert like a dead weight dropped from a tree.

Gilbert, who was sporting a bleeding lip and puffy eye, was picking his nails with disinterest as he ignored the dying woman's screams. He glanced over to his girlfriend, unsurprised. "Let me guess... You tried to play peeping Tom, but the innocent virgins, bless their souls, managed to escape your claws." He put his hand onto his chest in fake emotion.

She rolled her eyes, and responded, "Whatever. It's not like you're any better, picking fights and bullying everyone." She ignored an indignant "But I won!" and took a large handful of their shared popcorn, devouring it angrily. She reached in again to grab another handful, knocking her hand against Gilbert's, who had suddenly remembered the bag of food and was feeling hungry after his brawl. Her eyes fixed on the movie, she tried pushing his hand away, and took another scoop with her hands, only for Gilbert to snatch a large portion of it and feed himself contentedly. She felt her eyes narrow slightly.

"Fine! Eat it all, and get fat!" She huffed, and removed her hand from the popcorn as if she were too high-class for the snack. At that, Gilbert turned to her angrily, his eyes flashing angrily.

"Shh!" A stern-looking Chinese boy glared at them, his serene features twisted in anger.

Ignoring him, Gilbert faced back towards Elizaveta and retorted, "What's got you all pissy!?" Receiving only a sneer, he glared at her. "Fine, I don't fucking care! You eat your fatty comfort food, and when you get fifty love handles, you can come crawling back to me and begging for forgiveness! _Maybe_, since I'm so awesome, I'll decide to forgive you!" He shoved the innocent bag into her chest roughly, unaware that Matthew and Francis had begun to watch their fight uneasily. She shoved it back, her attention now solely fixed on her abrasive boyfriend.

Gilbert angrily grabbed a few pieces of the snack and thrust them at her face.

"Y-You...!" The Hungarian dug her hand into the bag and brandished it as if it were a claw. She threw them one by one at his face, aiming for his mouth, and laughed cruelly when he choked and swallowed one of the pieces of popcorn.

His face red, he snatched the whole bag and dumped the bag's entire contents over her hair. Her attitude suddenly shifted as she gracefully swept her popcorn-laden hair away from her face, ignoring their audience, who had begun to watch the scene in interest.

She smiled, although her eyes remained cold and eerie. "Nothing to see here, people..." When only around half of the people watching the spectacle had looked away, she began to single out people. "Hey, you! Chinese guy with the ponytail! Don't think I didn't notice you turn away! And you, the Russian with the scarf! Don't pretend you weren't looking!" At that, everyone averted their eyes hastily. Satisfied, Elizaveta settled into her seat, and calmly took a sip from their shared drink.

Wiping her lips delicately on a napkin, she spoke, dangerously quiet. "Don't think this is over, Gilbert... One day, when you're sleeping, I'll cut open your nuts and stuff a bunch of kernels in there, and throw you into the microwave! Then we'll see who's laughing!"

He cackled provokingly. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Is that all you've got? I'll stuff you down there with some kernels and throw you onto the stove, and then you'll have a popcorn baby!"

She glanced towards him, a small, sadistic smile forming. "...You have a small dick."

He turned towards her, eyes pleading and hurt, and whined, "N-No I don't...! It's, like, 12 inches! C'mon babe, don't assault my manhood!"

She felt her eyes soften immediately. Maybe that was a low blow, especially to Gilbert. She knew how attached he was to his 'precious Gilbird'. "...Sorry. And I wasn't serious about the whole 'cut-your-sack-and-let-it-explode' kind of thing."

He turned to her, his eyes lightening. "Naw... I kind of deserved it for provoking you. ...And I wouldn't actually let you give birth to a popcorn baby, too. ...That'd be a waste of the kern—" She cut him off as she pressed an oily finger to his lips. Beside her, Francis and Matthew had gone back to cuddling.

"I love you..." She kissed him gently. He kissed back, applying needy pressure, before he broke apart, panting.

"No, _I _love you..."

She felt her heart skip. "I-I love you more than anyone!"

His red eyes widened, before they softened with emotion. "Well, I love you more than the whole universe!"

Her lips dried, and she licked them to moisten them, before she heatedly proclaimed, "I love you more than the whole depths of time and space combined!"

"Shut up! Some of us are trying to watch the movie, you know!" They both turned to the offending woman in question.

"Fuck you! We're just declaring our undying and sweetly young love for each other, you fake-boob woman!"

"Tch, whatever. Let's go, Gilbert, these people aren't worth our time! We can make out in the family bathroom." As they quickly exited, she spat out to the lady, "Oh, and maybe you should check your cereal in the morning, 'cause I bet someone pissed in the breast milk!"

In the theatre, Francis and Matthew awkwardly disengaged from each other. Their loving snuggling had been brought to an abrupt halt as Elizaveta and Gilbert made another scene yet again, evaporating the romantic mood. Matthew checked his watch. "Maybe... We should just go get Gilbert and Elizaveta, and then find Antonio and Roderich. I wasn't having much fun watching the movie anyways..."

"Of course, mon cher, anything for you." They exited the now-quiet theatre, and walked hand-in-hand to the family bathroom. Sure enough, they could faintly hear scrambling and kissing sounds, along with an 'You taste better than popcorn with butter!' and an 'I love your 'frying pan' and silk bra!'

Tentatively, Matthew knocked on the door a few times.

"Ah, crap! Maybe it's the staff!"

"Sh-Should we climb out the window...?!"

"I-I dunno, but this jacket's so awesome and new, I don't wanna damage it!"

They heard a multitude of quick zips and sounds of hands against clothing before the door opened as an indignant voice wavered, "W-We're a f-family, and I j-just got pregnant, s-so _technically _— Oh. Never mind." She dropped her hand, which had been cradling her stomach protectively. Behind her, Gilbert was dusting off his shoulders, bored.

"What're we doin' now? The movie finishes in half an hour."

Francis let out a dramatic sigh. He couldn't see how the two of them were still together despite their frequent arguments, and yet they'd been with each other for over a year now. "We are looking for ze other two. Hopefully they have not wandered far."

Matthew looked up from his phone, which he had just been using. "Uh, Antonio says he's coming with Roderich now... They'll be at the front in like 3 minutes."

Elizaveta let out an involuntary squeal of excitement. Gilbert rolled his eyes as the group walked to the entrance to wait. He watched his girlfriend fidget with excitement while the other couple hugged in the cold Autumn air, whispering sappy compliments to each other. _Tch, they're so corny! _His thoughts were sidetracked when he noticed the Spanish teen and the Austrian teen appear around the corner, walking closely together. His jaw tightened in thought as he observed the two of them.

Beside him, Elizaveta had ceased her antsy movements and was now narrowing her eyes as if she needed glasses. They glanced towards each other, and as if reading each other's minds, they both crossed over to the approaching teens. Elizaveta flung herself into Antonio's arms, reminiscent of lovers who had been parted for far too long. Her eyes gleamed as she noticed her step-brother visibly tense in jealousy.

"W-Whoa, uh, what is it?" Antonio looked confused as he took a step back from the force of the hug.

Elizaveta shrugged, letting him go immediately. "Dunno, can't I hug my friends?"

Beside him, Gilbert had likewise grabbed the now-blushing Austrian in a tight and intimate hug. "Hey buddy, haven't seen you in a while!"

Antonio began, "Um, I guess you can hug your friends, but —" He cut himself off as he took note of the German and Austrian beside him. "H-Hey, hands off of him, Gilbert!" He tore the impishly grinning Gilbert off of the flustered Roderich, and was about to shove the German when Francis suavely cut in.

"Ah, there you two are. We were looking for you both. Today was quite... eventful. We must do this again sometime." He not-so-subtly elbowed Matthew.

"Er, ye-yeah! Today was... fun..." The Canadian boy looked around wildly, uneasy with the attention. "R-Right, uh, Gilbert?"

Gilbert smoothly agreed, "Oh, yeah, of course. How about next week, same time? I'd be down for that."

Elizaveta nodded vigorously. "Yeah, me and Gilbert would love to, and so would Matthew and Francis! You two _must come!_" Her voice, though coated in honey, left no room for argument as her eyes shone manically.

Antonio halfheartedly said, "Uh, okay..." He involuntarily took a small step back at the aggression.

Roderich was about to open his mouth to protest, when Elizaveta yelped, "O-Oh, Roderich, we have to go! O-Our bus..."

Antonio lightened. _I-I can drive my b-boyfriend home! _"U-Uh, I-I can—!"

Gilbert shook his head, easily overriding the nervous Spaniard. "Nah, I'll drive them. I do wish to drive my darling _girlfriend _home." He paused and stared at Antonio for a few seconds as if he were dumb. Laughing, Elizaveta swatted Gilbert on the arm not lightly, who visibly took a step to steady himself.

"Oh, no, we wouldn't want to waste gas! Precious natural resource, costs money and all..." She forcefully grabbed Roderich by the arm and began to pull him away from the group. "Hurry, Roderich! I have a curfew!" She ignored his spluttering protests of 'N-No you don't...' and turned around slightly to face Gilbert. Her head kept jerking towards the Spaniard, her eyes conveying the necessity of the situation. Understanding, Gilbert nodded, and watched her turn around, satisfied, before the two of them rounded the corner.

Coughing, Gilbert began, "Oh, wow, uh..." He faked a yawn. "I'm beat. Uh..." Francis shook his head before he spared him.

"Yes, so am I. I suppose you are, as well, Antonio. Why don't we all head over to Antonio's house to rest for a little while? The night is still young."

Bewildered, but still numb from his kiss from Roderich, and the events that had happened right then, he nodded, and began to follow the other 3 teens to the parking lot. _I can't wait to tell them what happened!_


	3. Ch 3

Instead of bussing home, Elizaveta abruptly ran out of the bus when they had neared the stop close to Feliks's house, shouting behind her, "Go home and sleep and stuff! Tell Mom that I'm at Feliks's!" She missed his confounded nod as she continued her run to Feliks's house. She whipped out her cell phone and entered in her speed dial number 2, right behind home, and right in front of Gilbert. Arriving outside the innocent structure, she tapped her foot as she waited for the call to go through. Impatiently, she rapped her knuckles on the door.

At the fifth beep, she heard an electronic tone before she heard a yawning Feliks mumble, "Yeah...?"

"Come downstairs and open the door! I have news!"

She felt a shift in his demeanour as he exclaimed, "Why didn't you just say that?! I'm downstairs in like 5 seconds."

Sure enough, she could hear running seconds after he had disconnected, before the door flew open and a pajama-clad Feliks accidentally shouted, "What is it?! Is it Ludwig?! I knew he liked guys, I knew it! You heard it from me first!"

She shushed him, instantly feeling bad. For the past few weeks, Feliks had told her about his giant crush/obsession on the stoic and broad German. He'd been hoping that she could somehow get 'top-secret info from the brother', but to no avail so far. She had her suspicions, but Gilbert always had coughed and hastily changed the subject, adamantly refusing to discuss the topic.

"No, it's not about him, but... It's about _the _newest couple at school!" They both began squealing, Ludwig long forgotten.

"Well come on in! Hurry!"

* * *

><p>After the movie, with a promise from Roderich that he'd call Antonio, the Spanish teen had excitedly declared their hanging out to officially be, in his words, "an emergency happy outcome meeting!" While he wasn't sure why Matthew wasn't there, Francis had waved his hand aside non-committedly. "He was tired, so I brought him home to rest. Now tell us what happened."<p>

Francis, intrigued to know more, and Gilbert, somewhat reluctantly, thought he didn't want to let his girlfriend down, had both trailed off together with Antonio to his house, where they sat in their usual places. Antonio jumped on his bed excitedly as he explained what had happened, and how, despite almost everything not going according to plan, he'd still manage to snag "the boy of my dreams~!"

He felt giddy with happiness at the unexpected turn of events. He didn't notice Gilbert's bored expression, who rolled around the room in the chair while tossing a small soccer ball into the air. "And it's all thanks to you guys for helping me!" Beside him, subdued, Francis coughed and averted his head, while Gilbert narrowed his red eyes in the chair, which slid to a halt.

Gilbert began, "Yeah... About that..." Confused, Antonio stopped his hopping mid-jump, and landed with a few bouncy bounds before sitting at the side of his bed curiously.

Coughing to attain the scowling French teen's attention, Gilbert continued gleefully, "If I remember right, a certain cocky French guy in this room had bet his favourite girly bottle of shampoo that _his plan _would succeed. Which... It didn't." He finished with a naughty smirk and turned expectantly towards the blond teen.

Francis sneered. "Actually, I had bet that the Austrian would be scared of horror movies. But zat does not matter. Antonio succeeded merely because of my flawless guidance and support. If _I_ recall correctly, a certain _un_awesome German did not make out with his girlfriend as he was supposed to."

Gilbert grit his teeth before he spat out, "I'm _sorry _I decided that me and my girlfriend were too good for that trash place to put on a show! If we had actually felt like making out, everyone in the theatre'd turn Gilbert-sexual!"

Hastily, Antonio set himself between the two. "Urm, guys! It's fine, I don't need shampoo or whatever!"

Gilbert forced himself to stay calm, not without a lot of effort. Francis narrowed his eyes slightly at the German, before he turned to Antonio. "Actually, I have a better idea. You can have my shampoo... And you can also have something else.._." _He turned, and started to dig through his designer brand school bag. He brought his hand out, and settled an expensive-looking bottle onto the desk, to Gilbert's hysterical howls of laughter.

He clutched his sides and cackled. "Ahahaha! O-Oh, wow, what the hell, you actually have that shit inside your _school bag?! _Hahahah, you're such a fuckin' weirdo!"

Francis cast an indifferent look towards the laughing teen for a mere moment before he rolled his eyes. Gilbert immediately began to mimic the French boy's annoyed demeanour in an overdramatized manner, prompting involuntary grins from Antonio, and a small huff from Francis. Turning back to Antonio, the blond explained, "Here's the shampoo. _You_ can have it. Now your hair will be perhaps almost as beautiful as mine, and will not fall off and die, like the albino's. And here..." He pulled out a tiny bottle as well as a small packet, and tossed them to Antonio's lap. "_These _will help you, ah, 'hit a home run', I suppose you could say."

"W-Whoa... T-These are for me?! B-But I just started going out with Roddy!" In spite of his words, Antonio still curiously examined the two objects as if they were the answers to a multiple choice final exam.

Francis chuckled heartily. "Ah, mon ami, you must always be prepared. For today, tomorrow, next month..."

Gilbert abruptly stopped his barrage of teasing, looking at the condom packet with awe and reverence. "Hey... G-Gimme that!" He lunged toward Antonio, who blushed but covered the two items protectively.

"N-No! They're for me and Roddy only!" The Spanish teen quickly placed the two objects behind him, while Francis casually began to dump the contents of his backpack onto Antonio's bed. Countless more condoms and bottles of lube landed in a colourful and appealing array to both the Spanish and German boys.

Ignoring Gilbert, who had unsuccessfully tried to grab some of the condoms and lube only to be pushed down onto the ground and laid upon by Francis. Francis adjusted his position and settled onto Gilbert comfortably as if expecting to be there for a while. "Mon ami, you can take whatever you like. Please put everything else back into my bag, though. Oh, and don't give any to the German."

Gilbert whined, trying to throw the teen above him off with no results. Finally, he bared his teeth and snarled, "Hey, Frenchy! What's the deal?! Hook me up with some o' that!" He gnashed his teeth at the sight of the curious Spanish teen, who took his sweet time rummaging through the pile of goodies and taking a fair few of them.

Francis chuckled in a low but deadly serious rumble. "Oh, Gilbert... I'm just helping my dear old friend, ah, _advance _in his budding new relationship. As for you, well... Why don't you suck it up and just buy some, or get them from the nurse's office?" He cocked his head expectantly, mockingly, at his pinned friend.

"F-Fuck you and your... rainbow of condoms! Fine! I don't need them from _you! _I'll just... get them myself! Now get off me before I bite your dick off!"

Francis smirked, and gracefully stepped off of the red-faced and livid German. Antonio absentmindedly glanced towards his friends. He could see Gilbert was visibly torn between keeping his pride, and taking some things for himself, while Francis lazily reclined in the desk chair and stretched, seemingly without a care in the world. Turning his attention back to the array of items in front of him, he began to examine a ribbed condom "with ribs for _her pleasure!_", wondering if it'd feel good for Roddy or himself. He distractedly hummed as he compared it to another ribbed condom by a different brand, his mind whirling in deep thought about a teen boy's most important issue.

* * *

><p>"Hmm..." Feliks had an unusually thoughtful look upon his face. "I like your thinking, but I think we can do better. We're lucky that we have 4 possible key members in this operation." He snatched the closest piece of paper, which happened to be his recent History test that had a 63 emblazoned upon it starkly, along with a small frowning face beside the words "Could be better!" He flipped it over, grimaced, and flipped it back over. "Forget you saw that. History's, like, outdated, anyways." He ignored her tentative "That's kind of the point..." and began to draw a diagram.<p>

"Here", he pointed, "is what we can do to up their chances of success while at the same time snagging some hot pics." He tapped his finger onto the paper insistently, where there were little caricatures of their classmates, and lines drawn to connect some of them.

"In order for this to work, we'll have to take advantage of the natural liaisons between you and Gilbert, and Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio. It's like the game Telephone, except everyone wins!" He let out a grin. "Okay... First order of business. Go call Gilbert, and make sure he's away from Antonio."

Elizaveta sighed. "Don't you think this is kind of... overboard? And Gilbert's probably in Antonio's room along with Francis."

She ran a hand through her long, now-mostly-popcorn-free hair. Nonetheless, she began typing into her phone as Feliks explained with an overly patient tone, as if she were slow, "No, honey, I know them both. Antonio's an airhead. He, like, has his head in the clouds all the time!" He didn't seem to notice the hypocrisy as he continued, "And Roderich's just a prude! I know there's some sort of sexual presence in there _somewhere_, but it's buried like way deep! If you want your pics, and if we all want them to be happy forever after, we're gonna have to help them out."

She nodded. It made sense. She felt the call connect, instantly set it to speaker, and cut off an enthusiastic "Hey babe!" with an "Okay, Gilbert, don't talk, and just listen. Are you at Antonio's?"

There was a long pause before her patience snapped. "Are you at Antonio's?!" She practically screamed.

"U-Uh, yeah, but you told me not to talk!" In Antonio's room, Gilbert was keenly aware of Antonio's distracted eyes glancing upon him before he shifted his attention back to the condoms and lube. Francis, on the other hand, crossed his legs and pretended to ignore the German, though his eyes were clearly deep in thought.

"Okay, whatever! Just... Don't let Antonio become aware of what we're talking about! Use yes or no answers as much as possible, and don't give out any more details than is necessary. Now listen... I'm at Feliks's house. We came up with a plan to help Antonio and Roderich get past the first couple awkward steps, but we'll need your help, and Francis's, too."

His eyes were unfocused and bewildered as he asked, "Uh, okay, but... Why...?"

He heard fumbling before Feliks's voice piped up. "Okay, like, listen, Gil. One's a prude, the other's an airhead. They're practically tied to the railroad track screaming for our help!" He felt himself nodding, before he realized they couldn't see him.

"O-Oh, yeah, I guess... But, so what's the plan, then?" Gilbert couldn't see where this was going at all.

Back in his room, with a serious Elizaveta, Feliks grinned. "Okay, Elizaveta, you listen, too. The plan is simple..."

* * *

><p>The next week, they had all decided to meet up at one of the local malls. Roderich had been ready far too early, nervous but eager to hang out with the Spanish boy again. They'd seen in each other in the halls, but had always been surrounded by friends, and too embarrassed to do anything more than wave. In repentance, the Spanish boy had constantly texted the Austrian throughout the day with silly pick-up lines, which always made Roderich smirk slightly. They had also texted each late into night, talking about everything and anything before they both fell asleep, their phones in their hands. Today would be the first time they'd be hanging out with each other, although it was too bad that they'd be in a group, and not alone instead.<p>

He glanced at his watch. They'd both have to be leaving in about ten minutes if they wanted to be early. He knocked on his sister's door, receiving a feeble and pitiful "Come in..." Concerned, he opened the door and found his sister lying in bed, a moist fever towel on her head, while the trash can lay close beside her along with pill bottles of medicine and a box of tissue.

"A-Are you okay? You shouldn't go out like this, you're obviously sick!" Roderich could hear the worry evident in his voice.

Elizaveta sighed. "N-No, it's okay, I'll get up... I haven't seen Gilbert in over a week, and I've been looking forward to today for so long..." He could hear the longing manifest itself in her sickly tone. She sat up, and clutched her head, swaying. "O-Oh, I feel dizzy..." He felt himself begin to protest against her movement, but she held up a shaking hand. "I-I'll be fine, just let me get my stuff and..." She glanced down and shrieked.

"A-Ack! G-Get out, get out, get out!" Somewhat grossed out and traumatized, Roderich hastily ran out and closed the door. He'd never known periods caused _that_ much blood. Trying to calm his beating heart, he sighed. _I guess I'll just go alone then..._

Inside the room, Elizaveta fought to hold back her laughter. It was kind of gross, but she had had to mix ketchup and water until it had seemed similar to blood, and then had proceeded to ruin a pair of pajama pants with the mixture. She had feigned her dizziness, and had forcibly brought blood to her head to make her appear flushed by doing several upside-down handstand a few minutes prior. She was dedicated to her work, and it showed itself in all the details. She felt bad lying about how she hadn't seen Gilbert in a week. The truth was that the two of them, along with Feliks, plus Francis, and Matthew, who Francis had insisted upon being part of the plan, had been meeting after school for the past four school days in order to perfect their plan. Feliks had helped them choose outfits to go incognito, and they had scrutinized the details so that the execution would be flawless.

She waited until she heard the front door close before she hastily changed into an androgynous shirt and jeans, the action taking less than a minute. She fumbled with her phone and texted Feliks.

_I'm ready. The robin has left the nest._

Adjusting her hair into a bun quickly, she was unsurprised when her phone vibrated some seconds after.

_Noted. Robin spotted flying towards the tree branch. The ant is confirmed to be crawling towards the ant hill. Wait for further instructions._

Before she burst out of her room, she made sure to grab her camera and slip it into her messenger bag. She headed down the stairs hastily, and waited by the front door. She pulled out her shades, ready to cover her eyes, and slipped on a Yankees hat, hiding her long hair underneath. Her phone buzzed.

_Head outside._

She slid her sunglasses onto her face and calmly locked the door before heading into the grey sedan where she could spot Gilbert in the driver's seat. She took her spot in the front seat, buckled in, and glanced behind her to make sure they were all dressed appropriately.

She frowned slightly, and messed around with Feliks's chest slightly. _There. _She explained, "One breast was bigger than the other", prompting Gilbert to guffaw. She turned to appraise Matthew and Francis in turn. They'd all agreed that Francis could pull off looking like a girl, as long as he shaved. Matthew was reluctant to cross-dress, so Francis had insisted that Matthew be allowed to wear what he wished. Feliks had grumbled, but acquiesced and chosen a very patriotic American ensemble for the Canadian. "You look even more like your twin now!" Feliks had gushed, proud of his handiwork. Francis had been forced to wear a corset underneath his pink blouse, and a long, billowing dress, to cover up the fact that his body was obviously unfeminine.

Satisfied that they looked flawless in their disguises, she turned to look at her boyfriend. Unsure of how to get around his odd hair colour, Elizaveta had suggested that he wear a black cap. Feliks had enthusiastically gone along with the idea, saying, "He can be like a mysterious detective, dressed all in dark colours!" Currently, his sunglasses were placed along his shirt while he concentrated on driving the five of them to the center of the city's downtown. The mall was close-by; the new couple likely would be wandering around the heart of the city's shopping center.

Slowing the car to a halt, Gilbert easily parallel-parked into an open space, and the five of them climbed out, ready to start spreading out to their pre-planned vantage points. Feliks stopped them all hastily, and, grinning hopefully, dug into his purse and extracted a plastic bag. "'Kay, guys, I know I didn't bring this up before, but, like, I thought it'd be so cool if we used walkie-talkies! It'd be like a real operation, y'know?"

Elizaveta could see Gilbert itching to grab one, so she sighed and reached into the bag, pulling out one of the devices. Beaming, Feliks babbled, "Okay, I like already put the batteries in. I already made all the frequencies the same, too, and I tested them out last night, and they worked, and —"

"Uh, okay. But we have to get a move on, Feliks! It's almost the rendezvous time, and we aren't in position yet! You still have to find locate them at the front of the mall!"

Panicking, he checked his phone for the time, before wincing and hurriedly handing out the rest of the walkie-talkies. "Just press this button and hold it to talk, okay, guys?" He quickly stuffed the plastic bag back into his purse before he rain off in his heels, his balance only slightly off.

Turning to meet each of the others' eyes quickly, Elizaveta felt her insides tremble in excitement.

"Okay, let's spread out!"

* * *

><p>At the front of the mall, Roderich sat on one of the benches uneasily. Antonio had texted him a few minutes ago, saying that he had just left his car, but that Francis was sick. He hoped it wasn't awkward, with only himself, Antonio, Matthew, and Gilbert. His eyes scanned the crowd, but he couldn't see the Spanish teen everywhere. His eyes connected with a blonde woman who <em>seemed<em> to be looking at him, but he couldn't tell, because she was wearing sunglasses. _That's odd... It's indoors. Why would she need them?_

"Hey~!" He caught sight of a happy Antonio jogging towards him, and felt his heart turn into a pile of goo.

"H-Hi..." He coughed, trying to gain some form of composure.

The Spanish teen didn't seem to notice his shyness, and started to ramble. "I'm sorry I was late, it was really trafficky! So I guess we're just waiting for Matthew and Gilbert, then, huh?"

"U-Uh, yeah..." Antonio settled himself down beside the red-faced teen, who had turned in the other direction, pretending he had seen something interesting. The blonde woman from before turned to face him, smiled, and slurped from her iced coffee. Feeling uneasy, he turned back to Antonio, who was catching his breath and continuing to ramble. "I like ran all the way over here, haha. I wanted to see you again! It's too bad that we haven't... you know, talked at school... I guess I'm just new to this kind of thing. ...Sorry about that."

Roderich shook his head. "No, it's my fault. I just get... shy really easily. But uh... The, er, weather's really..."

He couldn't believe he had stooped to that level of conversation, but Antonio didn't seem to care. "Yeah, it's so great today! I'm too used to the rain, so this is a nice change. ...So, uh..."

At that instant, his phone buzzed. He opened the text from Gilbert. _Don't be so lame. Change the topic._

The Spanish teen was bewildered, and was about to text him back, when his phone buzzed again twice in short succession.

_Make him feel comfortable, maybe lean in and kiss him._

He opened the other one, thankful but uncertain as to how Gilbert seemingly knew what was going on.

_Er, BTW, this is all hypothetical advice._

_Oh_, the soccer player thought. _I guess he just wanted to help me in general._ He sent a quick _Thnx!_ and turned back to the uneasy Roderich.

Roderich felt his stomach tense, and he began to babble. "I-I like sunny weather too! Er... Uh..." He could see the Spanish teen smile in amusement.

"I haven't kissed you in a week..." Antonio began to lean in closer suggestively, a small dusting of pink across his face.

He leaned in closer, nervous, and promptly jumped when his phone began to buzz. His hands shook as he checked the text.

_I can't come today. I'm so sorry! I'll make it up to you two!_

He felt a surge of disappointment. _Oh... _He texted the other teen back.

_It's okay. Don't worry about it. I'll see you at school on Monday anyways, hope everything's okay._

Almost immediately Matthew had texted back.

_Okay... You two have fun!_

Confused, he was about to text back and ask the other boy what he'd meant by 'You two', but he was interrupted by Antonio's sigh.

"Gilbert just texted me, he says, 'I'm super hung over and wasted and stuff. I can't come.' I guess it's just you, me, and Matthew, then." He omitted the extra bit where Gilbert had proceeded to brag, _but my advice is still sound, even though I'm hung over! So use it._

Roderich let out a groan. _Great. Now it's just the two of us... I wish I had some ideas on how to make the next few hours not awkward... _He cleared his throat. "Um, actually... Matthew just told me that he can't come. I don't know why, though..."

He was distracted by his phone's telltale vibrating. _Hey brother, just felt like giving you some advice for today when you hang out with Francis, Matthew, and Antonio. I know you like him lots, so if you ever feel like things're awkward between the two of you, just go and hug or kiss him! Have fun today!_

Antonio seemed to brighten at the thought of the two of them being alone together that day. "If it's just the two of us, then this is like a date...!"

He felt his heart thump faster at the word. "Y-Yeah..."

Antonio's smile widened. "This is gonna be the best first date ever! Let's go do like everything!"

* * *

><p><em>Beep. <em>"The robin and the ant have, like, reconvened. They're like heading towards that ice cream store with the cute cashier. I totally wonder if he's into me, he like always gives me an extra scoop sometimes." His flamboyant voice wafted from the walkie-talkie.

_Beep. _"Uh, over." He seemingly added as an afterthought.

She saw Gilbert slide through the crowd towards the parlour from behind her, and started moving as well. _Beep. _"Copy that, 'Britney'. 'Sherlock' and I are moving in to the location, over."

_Beep. _"Don't talk for me, Elizaveta! Yeah, guys, I'm going to the parlour." Gilbert snarled. She shook her head, and made her way onto one of the benches on the sidewalk, directly in front of the parlour.

_Beep. _"And just so you guys know, I didn't forget the 'over'! Over." Gilbert added.

_Beep. _"Hey, idiot! It's 'Sam'! For like, gender ambiguity!" She snapped into the device, glaring at passers-by as they stared at her in intrigue.

_Beep. _"Uh, um, 'George Bush' here. Me and 'Hillary' are on our way as well. Over." Matthew's tentative voice told them.

_Beep. _"Haha, 'Sam' forgot to say 'over'!"

_Beep. _"So did you, idiot! Over." She felt like smacking her boyfriend over the head, but forced herself to calm down. _The mission is the priority_, she repeated to herself like a mantra.

_Beep. _"Actually, _technically_, I said 'over' at the end, unlike you. Over." His smooth, snide baritone pissed her off, but she fought to hold her control, and put the walkie-talkie to the side. She didn't want to dignify his likely-sneering face with a retort. The Hungarian dug into her messenger bag, grabbed a four-day-old newspaper, and spread it. She kept her focus on her peripherals while she pretended to read. After a few moments of fake reading she received a text from Feliks.

_Press the up arrow, he's so loud! People think I'm weird right now 'cause of him!_

Obliging with relief, she pressed the arrow. _There, no more Gilbert._

Almost immediately, she heard the telltale _beep_. "Me and mon cher have the ice cream parlour in sight. We almost got noticed by the two but because of Matthew's quick thinking..." She heard an audible kiss, and felt her eye twitch in annoyance.

_Beep. _"Hey, what happened to covering more ground separately!?" She felt her face contort as she gnashed her teeth.

Instead of a retort, as she had been expecting, a few moments later, Francis slipped back into business mode, his voice serious. _Beep. _"They're coming! Everyone stop talking for now. I'm inside the shop, ready to text Antonio if need be."

Gasping, Elizaveta grasped for the newspaper and pretended to read it. She peeked above the paper, and saw the two enter the store. _This might be it...!_

* * *

><p>Antonio held the door open for Roderich, who laughed and entered the shop, hitting him on the arm lightly in jest. He felt his mood soar at the action. <em>I-I think he's becoming more comfortable with me! <em>He let the door slowly close and made his way to the counter, where Roderich was examining the different flavours.

"Which one do you want, Roddy? O-Or, I mean, you could have two if you want, or three, it doesn't, er—"

His boyfriend—_My __boyfriend_— gave him an amused look. "I was thinking of either banana or strawberry. I've never had banana-flavoured ice cream before..."

Antonio began to look at the colourful collection in awe. _Which one should I get...?_

He was aware of a graceful blonde country lady texting behind him, just as his phone buzzed. _D-Did she just text me?!_He looked over at her incredulously as he reached for his phone. Her sunglasses-covered face broke into a snarl. "Vat do you want?!" She snapped with a heavy European accent, before she left the store with an indignant huff and clutched her purse angrily.

His eyes widened at what he felt was undeserved hostility. _What's her problem? _He shook his head, trying to not let it get to him, and checked his phone.

_Sometimes when I go on dates, I like to share with Matthew and pay for us both. For example, we would share some scoops of ice cream. I just thought you should know, in case you ever find yourself on a date._

_Oh! W-We can share! That's a great idea! _Thanking his French friend's timely text for giving him such a great idea, he said, "We can get both! A-And, um... If you want, w-we could share maybe?" His stomach began flipping around like an accomplished gymnast at the Olympics when Roderich nodded with a small smile, his face reddening slightly.

"Okay! I'll pay for us!" He fished for his wallet in his pocket, and inwardly screamed for joy when Roderich responded, "Okay, but I'm paying next time."

The soccer player settled in front of the cashier and ordered their ice cream. Receiving a clipped "Coming right up!" he asked, intrigued, "Wow, you have such a cool accent! Where're you from?"

Glancing up, the teen answered, "Oh, I'm from Lithuania. I just moved here like 3 years ago. Hopefully you can understand me though!" He finished scooping the ice cream, and handed it to the Spaniard.

"Thanks!" He felt a grin slide onto his face.

"No problem. You two enjoy your date!"

While Antonio was paying, Roderich's eyes had caught a garish mix of blue, white, and red. Seemingly familiar eyes widened before they averted hastily and disappeared almost instantly. _Isn't that Alfred...? _He was distracted as Antonio happily put a spoon out in front of him. "Here you go! I got us a cup, 'cause it was cheaper, and easier to hold. I don't really like ice cream cones, d'you? I dunno, ever since I was a kid I've never really liked them..."

He took the spoon with a bashful "Thanks..." and begun to start eating the ice cream. His eyes darted to the Spanish teen's mouth. He was licking it sensually, thoroughly enjoying it. _Nngh... _He felt himself harden below. Antonio paused his licking, his eyes meeting the Austrian's. Feeling perverted at his body's reaction, Roderich averted his eyes.

Laughing sheepishly, Antonio apologized, "Sorry... I always eat it like this. My Mom said it's not good, but I can't break the habit, haha." He began to continue licking the spoon, unaware of the Austrian's growing tightness and blushing.

Roderich tried to change the subject. "Um, this ice cream is really good..."

Antonio agreed immediately. "Yeah, I really like the mix! It's just like a banana strawberry sundae almost!"

Feeling himself relax at his success, Roderich felt himself banter. "I saw that there was tomato-flavoured ice cream... D-Did you want to come back one day and try some?" He saw the other teen's eyes widen comically before he shook his head enthusiastically, his mouth still full of ice cream. They made their way to the door and exited. Stretching, Roderich asked, "So now where should we go?"

"How 'bout the park? There's one really close-by... It's really nice." Antonio seemed deep in thought as he said it.

"Okay." Roderich made to follow Antonio, but his eyes caught sight of the patriotic stranger he'd seen several times before that day, sitting at a bench a few feet away. He was pretty sure it was Alfred, Matthew's twin brother, from Antonio's soccer team... He walked over to the teen, who tensed and averted his gaze.

"U-Um... I think I know you. You're Alfr—...! Matthew?! W-What're you doing here? Why're you dressed like that?"

Antonio appeared by his side, confusion evident on his face as well. Matthew stuttered, trying to talk, when a statuesque blonde woman appeared by his side, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. He visibly relaxed as the woman appeared. She tore off her sunglasses, and — _W-What the heck?_

The new couple found themselves facing someone who looked uncannily like Francis, dressed in feminine attire. Their suspicions were confirmed when, sure enough, Francis's familiar voice washed over them. "Ah, mes amis, you may be wondering why we are..." He gestured with his hand, colourful nail polish visible. "...Dressed... in this attire."

"I-I just saw you! Inside the shop! And why _are _you guys playing dress up, anyways?!" Antonio wasn't sure what was going on.

Francis snorted, and lifted an unusually elegant eyebrow. "You must be mistaken. I was sitting here with Matthew the whole time. I would get your eyes checked if I were you..." His self-assuredness easily convinced the gullible Antonio, who began to rub his eyes and squint them in testing obediently.

He continued, "As for your other question... Well, I am sorry to say that it is none of your business what Matthew and I do in our spare time. We felt like having a date today, and that is _that_. Come, Matthew. I am tired of playing around with this cloak-and-dagger nonsense. At home I shall treat you to the proper Saturday afternoon that you deserve." Obediently, Matthew meekly began to follow the confidently-striding French teen, squeaking out a small "Sorry...!" to the bewildered pair.

Antonio shook his head, trying to get the strange image out of his head for now. Tentatively, he turned to Roderich. "Uh... Why don't we go to the park now?"


	4. Ch 4

_Beep._ "Me and Matthew are aborting. You two have fun playing Peter Parker. Matthew and I have better, more enjoyable things to be doing." Francis's smooth tone left no room for disagreements, his voice authoritarian.

Almost instantly after, Matthew's voice piped up, apologetic. _Beep. _"S-Sorry, guys, I got caught, and Francis had to bail me out so that they wouldn't get suspicious! I-I'm turning our walkie-talkies off to save battery. We'll give them to you guys at school when we see you. ...U-Um, George and Hillary, over and out."

Elizaveta groaned, unaware of Gilbert's narrowing gaze a few meters away. He stalked over to her in suspicion. "How come my walkie-talkie didn't receive that message? Did you guys block me or something?"

She ignored his questions, and instead grabbed her walkie-talkie. _Beep. _"Britney, I overheard them say they were going to the park. Since you're closer, go see where they sit, and let me know if you find a good hiding spot for picture-taking. Over."

Gilbert examined his walkie-talkie, his annoyance and confusion escalating. _Beep. _"Like, Roger that, Sam! Tracking them now!"

Slowly, Gilbert brought his device to his mouth, and pressed the button. _Beep. _"Testing, testing, I am awesome..." His eyes never left Elizaveta's walkie-talkie. When seconds passed without her device receiving and playing his transmission, he snarled. "Hey! What's the deal? It's like we're on different channels or something!"

She ignored him, and hurriedly crossed the street. Distracted, he made to follow her, but a car turned the corner as he was about to cross. His shade-covered crimson eyes darted to the crosswalk lights and he groaned. He'd have to wait for like a minute before he could cross the street and catch up to Elizaveta. As he waited on the edge of the sidewalk, he began experimenting with the buttons on his walkie-talkie. He fiddled with the volume buttons, before he then pressed the up button once, and felt an intense feeling of satisfaction.

_Beep. _"...so you should probably come around to the side where I am, Sam."

Impulsively, he pressed the talk button, and began venting. _Beep. _"Hehe, you two think you're pretty slick, huh? You guys forgot that I'm too awesome to not catch on, hehehe!" As the pedestrian walk sign lit up, he began to cross the street, expecting a reply. As he made his way to the park slowly, and the minutes passed, he realized they must have switched channels or something. Annoyed, he began to flip through the buttons maniacally. _You guys can run, but I'll find you eventually!_

* * *

><p>As she heard Gilbert's gleeful and triumphant transmission, she sighed, and texted Feliks.<p>

_I guess it's just the two of us then. Turn your walkie-talkie off, and we'll do this old-school. _She ignored the fact that walkie-talkies were substantially older than cell phones.

Her phone buzzed. _Like, roger! LOL._

A few moments later, it buzzed again. _BTW you actually look like a boy from afar :o!_

She smirked in response, then felt her eyebrow twitch as he texted again. _You're like a few meters away from me. I'm in a bush. LOL, that's what she said! xp_

She brought herself to a halt as she spotted a crown of blond hair. Elizaveta moved to crouch beside him, and settled down onto her knees. Currently, he was looking through binoculars to a spot about 50 feet ahead of them.

"They're, like, sitting together by a tree. _Aww! _I wish _I _had a boyfriend. They're feeding each other ice cream", he explained. "Anyways, it's too risky to go closer 'cause of all the empty space, so we'll have to make do over here!"

"Okay. My camera has a zoom-in feature... I think we'll be fine. Help me keep an eye out for when they kiss." All there was left to do was wait for the money shot.

* * *

><p>Antonio took the spoon from the Austrian and placed it into the now-empty ice cream bowl. He jogged over to a nearby trash bin and threw it into the garbage, before he jogged back and sat cross-legged a short distance across from Roderich. He looked at the other boy intently, unaware that he was making the pianist feel awkward and uncomfortable. A small moment passed before the blushing teen practically threw himself onto the soccer player and kissed him on the cheek. Antonio rearranged the other boy against his chest, and they spooned together comfortably.<p>

Laughing, the Spaniard asked, "What was that about?"

Roderich shrugged. "I-I just..." _Remembered my sister's advice? Felt awkward and decided to hug and kiss you?_ His sister's logic suddenly didn't really add up to him. "...Wanted to thank you for the ice cream." He blushed.

Antonio let out a breath of content in response. "You're welcome..." He snuggled closer to Roderich, and moved a few inches to rest his body against a nearby tree.

"I like this..." His Austrian boyfriend settled against him, laying his back onto the Spaniard's chest. They were now resting against a tree, admiring the natural beauty of the park.

"L-Let's play a game..." Roderich felt himself speak up again. He wanted to know more about Antonio; almost everything intrigued him about the soccer player.

He felt warm breath against his neck as Antonio let out a content "Okay...", and relaxed happily.

"Um, basically, I ask you a question, and you tell me an answer. I'll try and guess if the answer's true or false, and then you tell me if I'm right. We can take turns..." He felt like a prepubescent boy at a coed slumber party, playing truth or dare in order to not-so-subtly either ask out or kiss his crush. He shivered, and shook the thought out of his head.

"Mm..." Antonio breathed in the smell from Roderich's hair. It smelled like lavender, soothing the teen. _It suits him... _"Okay, whenever you're ready."

He felt Roderich fidget in his arms slightly. "Uh, chocolate or vanilla?"

He felt a small laugh shake his chest. _Should I lie...? _"...Vanilla."

Roderich turned around and surveyed his eyes intently, blushing at the action. "Um... false."

The Spanish teen grinned cheekily. "Nope! I was telling the truth! Hehe! My turn! Um..." He couldn't get his mind of the gutter. All he could think of were questions like _boxers or briefs? Have you ever done stuff with another guy? Are you still a...? _He shook his head. "What's your favourite instrument?"

Roderich sighed, and leaned back into his chest. "Ah... The piano..."

"Huh?" Antonio craned his neck to survey his boyfriend. "I thought you didn't like the piano...?"

Roderich laughed, the sound like angels singing to a once-damned man. "I didn't but... Your talk to me about how your mom put you into soccer made me think. My mom... put me into lessons when I was really young. I used to hate it until very recently..." He turned and faced his boyfriend in the eyes. "But... I... When she died, I remember I played a piece at her funeral. It helped me come to terms with her death. It was soothing to me, therapeutic... Very rarely have I ever played as I did that day. But why? Why can I not play like that all the time?" He shrugged. "I'm guessing it's because I have to let down some of my walls... I think I'm... getting better at it."

He paused, and then smiled lightly. "I guess you don't have to guess if I'm lying or not, huh? ...Here's one. What's your favourite thing in the world?"

Antonio, caught up in his boyfriend's gaze, blurted out, "You."

Amused, Roderich went along with it. "Okay... What about me?" His sapphire-esque eyes twinkled as he tried to hold back a smile.

"Your eyes... They're like diamonds... Er... Blue diamonds..." He felt himself burn crimson as he let it out. Forgetting to ask if Roderich thought he was telling the truth or not, he changed the subject quickly. "U-Uh, what's your favourite thing in the world?"

Roderich, who had been avoiding eye contact, shuffled around. "Ummm... Abs." He smiled cheekily.

Antonio felt his mouth quirk. "Like these? He lifted his shirt up, displaying modest abs. He kind of wished they were bigger and more defined, but he never watched what he ate. Often, his stomach did the thinking before his mind could catch up.

Roderich coughed, trying to look away, but his eyes were drawn to the other boy's muscles like a magnet. He forced himself to think.

"U-Uh, heh, I wasn't being serious..."

The soccer player pretended to pout, but his eyes curiously wandered to his boyfriend's. He wondered what his boyfriend would say.

Roderich caught his eye and felt himself confess softly, "I... Your smile... It's what I like most in the world." His face flushed pink at the confession. He turned his head away, but Antonio gently held him by his hands and guided his face towards him.

"...You don't think I'm dumb, do you...? Or too happy, or carefree?" Antonio felt his insecurities creep up, feeling like he was ruining the precious moment.

Roderich built up the courage to look Antonio in the eye. "_No_..." He breathed. "_Of course not..._"

Antonio felt his heart swell. He began to lean in for a kiss, when he was stopped by the Austrian's hands along his jawline.

"...You don't think I'm too serious, or uptight, or awkward, do you?" Antonio could see the uncertainty and self-doubt reflected in Roderich's eyes.

"_No..._ _You're perfect..."_ He whispered, trying to let the Austrian see how beautiful he was, as their eyes closed and they leaned in for a gentle kiss.

* * *

><p>"Oh my gawd! They're gonna kiss! ...Oh, never mind, Roderich stopped him."<p>

Elizaveta groaned and rubbed her eyes tiredly, setting the camera down for a moment. She felt her spike in excitement dwindle like a wilted flower. She didn't have any idea how long they'd been staking out there, with no results other than a small kiss on the cheek, and some sappy but heartwarming hugging. Well, _technically_, she knew that 34 minutes had passed, because she had checked the time on her phone a few times, but still. Her stomach growled as it pleaded for sustenance.

"O-Oh my gawd, oh my gawd, they're kissing! H-Hurry! Why'd you put the camera down?!" Feliks was throwing a fit beside her, his hair extensions inadvertantly falling to the ground.

She scrambled with the camera, fumbling to get a good view. _Aha! Th-This is it...! My blog... My e-popularity...!_

She adjusted her camera slightly, her eyes narrowing for the perfect shot. _Perfect!_ Just as her finger began to press the button, she felt a hand clap down onto her shoulder. Her steadiness had been knocked awry by the careless hand. She swore and looked at her shoulder. _G-Gilbert...!_

"Yo! I was looking for you two. You guys still going at it?" Gilbert was eating a hot dog with his right hand, the left still resting on Elizaveta. She let out a pathetic groan and checked her camera. _M-Maybe it'll still be a clear shot. _She stubbornly tried to convince herself against all odds that she had prevailed, only to be met with an image of blurred greens and brown. "Fuuuck!"

Feliks looked at her oddly as he reattached his somewhat dirtied hair extensions. He never knew someone could sound whiny and angry at the same time. Surprising himself with his bravado, he murmured, "Language, girl!" He double-checked his hair, using his phone as a makeshift mirror._ ...Hm, maybe I can pull off a dirty blonde kind of look..._ Looking back into his binoculars, he noted, "The lovebirds are heading off somewhere... Should we follow them?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Nah, I'll take you two out to Denny's or McDonald's or something. _Someone _needs to calm down, anyways." He ignored his girlfriend's fury, and took a bite out of his hot dog.

She snorted, but followed him anyways. "You wrecked my picture! I had the perfect lighting, the perfect angle, the perfect shot!"

He cut her off with a raised hand, chewing his hot dog. "Chirr."

Feliks wrinkled his face. "Uh, what?"

Gilbert swallowed. "I said, chill. Tell you two what, I'll just hang out with them one day, and ask for a picture. C'mon, it's that simple! I won't even charge you guys anything. Now let's go eat, I'm still hungry. Dumb guy wouldn't give me an extra hot dog." He grinned as his girlfriend hugged him tightly, elated, as the three of them wandered away from the park.


	5. Ch 5

They had begun to go out with each other continually from then on. Nowadays it was a common sight to see the aloof Austrian blush as he shyly held hands with his exuberant boyfriend at school, or out on the streets while they went on frequent dates.

Roderich let out a little sigh as he exited his Chemistry class, the bell signalling the beginning of break time. He couldn't find the words to tell his boyfriend that it was his birthday that insignificant Wednesday. What could he say without appearing like a slobbering, desperate fool yearning for affection? Besides, Antonio had been busy as of late. While the pianist had found himself with leisure at his hands, the soccer player had been having games every weekend, and being too beat to hang out as a result. He wished things were different, but it was beyond his control.

He headed to his next classroom and waited. At least he'd get to hang out with his boyfriend for like... 10 minutes. Sure enough, inside the classroom he could see Antonio talking with an animated Feliks. At first, Antonio hadn't even noticed his presence when he had sat down beside him, waiting for a lull in their conversation. Abruptly, Feliks had paused for a breath and then suddenly noticed Roderich.

The Polish teen began to babble. "Like, happy 17th, Roddy! LOL I feel like Mrs. Dursley to Harry. Or was it Mrs. Weasley...?" He flicked his hand as if he didn't particularly care about the details. "Anyways, like, I can't believe you didn't tell your boyfriend about it!" He began to complain in a whiny voice. "Seriously, I don't think you _normal_ people understand how lucky you are! It sucks being born on Remembrance Day! It's like I'm not even allowed to be happy, or celebrate, even!" He felt his stomach lurch as Antonio turned to face him, upset.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The hurt was obvious in his green eyes. "Don't you want to celebrate with me...?"

Feliks glanced to the side uneasily. "Er... As much as I love drama, I don't really like the _real _thing, y'know, so I-I'm just gonna go." He popped out the door and bumped into Elizaveta, who had gone to buy a quick snack, and Gilbert.

Brushing the apologetic Polish teen aside, the German loudly declared, "Yo! Happy birthday, glasses! Eliza told me about how you didn't tell your boyfriend over there! I'm shocked, man, that's cold!"

Roderich sneered at the nickname, and pointedly ignored the German teen. It was just like Elizaveta to mess around with his business. He turned back to his depressed boyfriend. "It's just... You've been really busy, and everything, and you have a test tomorrow, and soccer practice today, and..."

Antonio childishly covered his ears. "I-I don't wanna hear it! We're supposed to be here for each other for things like this, but how can I know if you never tell me?"

The Austrian sighed. What he had said was true... "...But we've only been going out for less than a month. I'm not going to mess up your schedule just because—"

Antonio cut him off heatedly. "Well, maybe I _want _you to mess up my schedule!" He grit his teeth in frustration when Gilbert began to laugh.

"H-Hey, hey, is that a euphemism for something?" Gilbert cackled in his seat beside an uneasy Elizaveta.

Antonio, unusually riled up, snapped, "Shut up, Gil! Mind your own business!" He crossed his arms unhappily. "I was planning on doing something big for your birthday, and now I won't get the chance for another year!"

Roderich felt like he had just killed a newborn puppy. "Sorry..." He didn't know how he could make it up to his boyfriend.

His step-sister groaned melodramatically. She made her way over to them quickly, and began to rant. "I _told _you to tell him, Roderich! Me and Feliks had to basically hold his mouth shut after we told him so he wouldn't talk during last period!" Rubbing her head as if she had a migraine, she suddenly turned to Antonio. "Hey. What's your next class?"

Confused, the Spaniard let out, "Er, PE, but why?"

She rolled her eyes in an overly obnoxious manner. "What do you think?! I'm trying to fix things for my darling idiot brother and his equally dumb boyfriend!" She tossed her hair over her shoulder angrily. "Skip it. What's your next class, both of you?"

They looked to each other, bewildered, but answered.

"Music..." Roderich let out uncertainly.

Antonio scrunched up his eyebrows, as if he had to think a bit to remember. "Oh yeah, I have a spare after..."

Elizaveta let out a little squeal, which quickly turned to a small shriek of horror as a large Russian man walked in. _I guess we have a sub_, Roderich thought to himself. He didn't see why Eliza was so frightened of the man. He looked pleasant enough, albeit quite, quite tall.

She grabbed her things, fumbling to pack up her snack wrappers in haste. The substitute looked over to her with a warm smile. "Good. I think we'd both hate it if I had to have to clean up after you."

She laughed unsteadily as a response, as if she were scared of unusually cruel punishment. She leaned in to stage-whisper to her boyfriend with a hiss. "It's _him! _One of the guys I pointed out at the..." Gilbert's eyes widened in fright, and he made the mistake of looking over to the man.

Still with a smile, the man moved over to the board and began to clean up the marker writing. "Ah, yes. I wanted to tell you both that it's not polite to talk when people are trying to watch a movie. I look forward to lecturing you heavily." Though he didn't turn his head to face the scared couple, it was obvious he was speaking directly to them.

Gilbert let out a yelp, his eyes wildly flying around. "I-I don't have this class!" He dashed out the room cowardly.

"I-I _legit_ just had Calculus!" Elizaveta hastily followed her boyfriend. From the safety of the door, she explained, "I'm only going to say this once, so listen! You two stick together for this whole day. If there's a class in the way, skip it! I'll see you guys at Physics!" Her head ducked away and they saw her quickly-retreating back.

Antonio nodded eagerly, as if the thought of skipping class and vital course information didn't seem to bother him at all. Just then, the bell rang, signalling the end of break. Students began to pile in the classroom leisurely. Eventually, everyone except for Gilbert was present. The bell signalling the start of the second class rang.

With a serene smile that suddenly seemed not-so-friendly, the Russian man began with his accent, "You're late. All of you. Except you two." He pointed to Antonio and Roderich, who both let out a sigh of intense relief.

Nobody, except their hotheaded classmate Vash, had the audacity to correct him. "No we're not. Class _just _started."

The Russian man turned to face the Swiss boy directly. "I hope you're not talking back to me. If you are, I'd have to send you to the principal's office. Otherwise I have some fun assignments for you all to do." Instantly, Vash shut his mouth. The substitute teacher began to slam thick packages of paper onto every student's desk. As he did so, he explained, "I may not be able to give assignments worth marks, but I do want to make sure you're all punished for your lateness. Originally I had hoped to play some fun games outside, but I guess that won't be happening."

Once every student had received a package, the man made his way to the front and stayed standing there, watching everyone. Everyone began to hastily start writing bogus answers on the high-level calculus worksheets, which were highly above their level. Roderich decided to view the work as a challenge, and so started to fill in some of the empty spaces with work. He had just found out what he thought to be the first question's answer when the sound of a meter stick snapped to the desk beside him with a loud smack.

"Why aren't you working?"

Arthur let out a scowl. "We've never done work as hard as this before."

The Russian man stopped his soft pacing. "I did not know that western schools were so behind."

"Man, this guy's rough..." Michelle muttered to Vash beside her. Instantly, the Russian man turned to face the Seychellois girl, whose face showed evident surprise at the man's ability to know who had been talking.

"I don't like to be interrupted." His body snapped towards Antonio. "You there. Put up your solution to the first question. As for the rest of you, I expect no talking." He smiled like an angel. "Keep working."

Antonio shakily brought himself to the front of the board, his work package in hand. He fumbled with the board's marker, causing the cap to fly across the room and into the recycling bin. "Eheh..." Antonio was about to go to the blue bin, when the substitute stopped him.

"Don't worry." His Russian accent prominently made the word sound like it had a v. "Just put your solution up onto the board."

Antonio nodded meekly. He neatly copied the question onto the board, and then stepped back with a lengthy pause. Keenly aware of the class's attention, he coughed, and erased the question. He began to copy it again.

"Why did you erase the question, only to write it out again?"

Antonio flushed deeply. "Er, I..."

The Russian shook his head dismissively. "Keep writing. Don't erase it again."

Antonio stood there, clearly lost and uncertain of what to do. As a minute passed, his ears burning red, Roderich coughed and felt himself leave his seat. He took the marker from the grateful Antonio's hand, and began to write his solution onto the board. While he wasn't sure if he was right, he did know that his first few steps were correct. He finished, and stepped back to survey his work.

"...That's right. ...Why did you leave your seat?"

While he was elated and proud that he had figured out the tough problem, he forced himself to think of a suitable excuse. As he adjusted his glasses in embarrassment, Antonio shifting his weight nervously beside him, he made himself say with a straight face, "H-He forgot his glasses at home..."

The Russian narrowed his eyes, the smile long gone. "You're lying. Even if he did forget his glasses, if he was able to write out the question, surely he would have been able to factor out the 2 at the beginning, at least?"

Roderich felt his temper flare at the insult. He knew Antonio wasn't the best student at math or calculus... But he also knew that the Spanish teen tried really hard to do well. He tried to keep himself calm. "...Maybe you should send me to the principal's office for my insolence."

The man began to smile easily. "That's a great idea. Go to the office now." He waited a moment, but the Austrian didn't budge. The man's smile visibly began to falter in annoyance. He made his way to his desk and checked the class attendance list. "What's your name... ...Is it... Roderich Edelstein?"

Roderich forced himself to keep an impassive face as he stared defiantly back at the substitute. After a few moments, the man's smile returned. "Alright. All of you stay here while I go to get the principal. I promise you all will be punished severely if you attempt to leave." He left the classroom, humming.

As soon as he was out of sight, the silent classroom burst into worried and whiny whimpers. "He's so _mean_!" "Ugh, worst substitute ever." "I just wanna leave..."

Roderich ignored them all, and dragged his boyfriend by the hand. He began to pack up his things hurriedly, and told his boyfriend to do the same. "W-Why? Y-You're gonna get in trouble... All of us are..."

Roderich felt his eyes twitch in fury at the scared tone in his boyfriend's voice. He could see why Elizaveta had fled like a rabbit.

Beside him, Arthur had done the same, and was now making his way to the front of the room. "Oi, guys! Listen up!" His voice and presence were pathetically unnoticed by most of the room, until Michelle had easily gathered their attention by joining Arthur, and letting out a shrill whistle with her hand and mouth. Now with the room's undivided attention, Arthur tentatively began, "Um, I'm leaving, and I suggest you blokes do the same..."

Instantly, the room became awash with a symphony of zippers and sounds of crumpled paper. Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Roderich pulled Antonio by his backpack and made to exit the room. Just before he did, he leaned over and snatched the attendance list, crumpling it into a ball and stuffing it into his pocket. He heard Arthur mutter beside him, "Good thinking, mate. That'll hopefully hide our arses." He head out the room quickly.

"Whoa, you're so smart, Roddy!" Antonio looked at his boyfriend with awe and reverence shining in his eyes. He snorted lightly, and exited the room with his boyfriend close behind. As they walked briskly through the hallways, Antonio panted, "So now what? There's more than an hour before the next class..."

Roderich shrugged, and led them both outside. Beams of radiant light shone onto their faces as they stepped out into the cool morning air. Looking to the elementary school ahead, Antonio grinned excitedly. "W-We can hang out at the playground!" His eyes sparkled hopefully as he pouted to his boyfriend.

Reluctantly, Roderich nodded, and so they ran across the field to the smaller school, before Antonio began to lead them. The energetic soccer player explained, as they turned left and reached the playground, "I've always wanted a date at the swings!"

They crossed the playground to the swings and set their bags down before they began to float lightly as they sat upon the swings. Antonio spoke up softly in the quiet. "Thanks for saving my butt back there." He leaned over and pecked the other teen quickly.

Roderich lifted his shoulders slightly in a shrug. "He was a jerk anyways... Anyways, what d'you think of what Elizaveta said?"

Antonio beamed at the mention of the Hungarian. "She's right! We can spend the whole day together this way!"

The pianist sighed. "No... My Music teacher won't allow you in my class, and you still have soccer practice after school, so—"

The Spanish boy grinned. "'S okay, I wanna make today special for you! I'll just pretend I'm sick for practice. We can hang out after school, right?"

The Austrian protested lightly, "But there's the Math test tomorrow..."

Antonio shook his head vehemently. "I already studied tons... I think I understand the stuff. But..." He looked crestfallen. "If you want to study instead, then..."

Roderich let out a small laugh. "Of course I'd rather be with you! I think I can make do without studying, anyways."

At that, his boyfriend straightened up, his mood raised. "O-Okay! It just sucks that I'll have to leave you for next class, but after that we'll have lunch and then Physics..."

"I-I can just skip..." As the words left his mouth, he was aware of the Spanish teen looking at him in obvious surprise.

"R-Really?! But you never skip! I mean, I guess except for today's Calculus class, but still!"

His face dusted itself with a splash of pink. "I guess I just kinda want to spend the day with you, too..."

Antonio didn't say anything, but he reached over and squeezed his hand lightly, with a happy and tender look in his eyes.

* * *

><p>They sat there, enjoying each other's company quietly as their feet brushed against the ground. They heard the bell sound in the distance, and as if in response, Roderich felt his hunger make itself known with a small growl. Antonio jumped onto his feet.<p>

"Well, let's go! I'm hungry too. I'll take you out for lunch. Any suggestions?"

The Austrian followed the other boy obediently. He wracked his head for any ideas. He wanted their lunch to be special. He thought of his piano teacher, Mr. Roma, and wondered aloud, "Maybe this Italian place? It's called The Olive Spaghetti."

They reached the high school building, and began to hug the walls and shadows. "I know that place! I go there a lot. Lovi and Feli work there on weekends!" Antonio fixed him with a happy smile.

As they passed the gym doors, senior girls began to pile out, Elizaveta among them. She caught their eye and squealed as she noticed their less-than-subtle displeasure at being caught, as well as their somewhat sneaky demeanour. She gave them a cheery smile, thumbs up, and a small wink, before she grabbed a field hockey stick and ran out onto the sunny field to join her classmates.

Antonio grinned in response, while Roderich merely shook his head. The pair reached the Spanish teen's humble red car and climbed inside. As he pulled his seatbelt on, the Austrian received a text from Matthew.

_I didn't know you had a spare this period too! Are you and Antonio going out for lunch somewhere?_

He texted his friend back. _Yeah, we're going to The Olive Spaghetti. _He couldn't bring himself to say that he was skipping class.

His phone buzzed shortly after, as Antonio began to drive to the restaurant. _What, no way! Me and Francis are going there right now too!_

Antonio brought them to a stop in front of a fresh red light. A few moments later, a suave blue car elegantly stopped before their car, before it let out a honk. The soccer player snorted in response, as the car began to trail them a short distance away. Coughing, the pianist explained, "Him and Matthew are eating at the restaurant too."

Antonio lit up at the idea. "We can double date! I've always wanted to have a double —" He cut himself off, looking guilty. "Er, I didn't mean that. I was just —"

Roderich shook his head. "It's okay, I don't mind. I like hanging out with Matthew, anyways." Matthew reminded him of himself with his diligent habits and shy demeanour, although he seemed to have a steel resolve whenever he had the need to use it. The two had often helped each other out through the past two school years in courses that they felt they needed slight guidance on. Matthew often helped him with English and Chemistry, and Roderich in turn aided the Canadian with Math and Physics. He didn't know the French teen that well, but he seemed decent enough.

They pulled into the parking lot and exited the car. Right beside them, Francis's car smoothly parked, before the engine turned off and the other couple hopped out of the car.

"Roderich! I haven't seen you in such a long time! I mean, besides school, the last time I saw you was..." He paused to think, only to turn dark red at the awkward memory of himself being dressed like a patriot, only to be led away by a confidently striding cross-dressing Francis. The French teen wrapped an arm around his boyfriend and turned to face the other couple.

"It has been a while... I hope you'll forgive me for feigning illness. Me and Matthew had not had a date in a long time, you see. Anyways... Shall we?" The four of them entered the nearly-empty restaurant, and were led by the handsome host to a table with a nice view of the rest of the restaurant. He handed them their menus with a perfect smile.

"You guys enjoy, 'kay?"

At that moment, Mr. Roma burst out of the kitchen doors with two plates of Italian fettuccine alfredo in hand, and placed them charmingly before a thankful couple. As he was about to head back into the kitchen, he noticed the four of them, and eagerly headed towards them like a puppy towards dog food.

"Roderich! And wow, Antonio, Francis, and Matthew! What can I get for you today!" He smiled at them in turn, and tried to shoo away the host, who had overheard and was about to write down their orders.

"Ah, hello, Mr. Roma. I'll just get the linguini with tomato sauce..." Roderich was aware of the host/waiter, who had insistently stood his ground, drawling dryly, "Noted. Would you like something other than water?"

His piano teacher groaned theatrically. "Sadiq, I was trying to let you have a little break!" His whining apparently didn't affect the other man in the slightest.

Glancing between the two adults, the pianist then turned to the other man, whose skin was shaded similarly like Antonio's. "I'll just have — Antonio!" The other teen was prodding him repeatedly.

"Get soda or juice or something! Free refills, and I'm paying!" Antonio's eyes shone hopefully, but Roderich shook his head.

"That's just another reason why I should get water..." The Austrian didn't want his boyfriend to pay too much, and he knew the other teen wouldn't back down from paying for him. _I guess I'll just do the same for him on his birthday... _The Spanish teen's birthday was on the 12th of February, so he still had quite a bit of time to prepare and plan for the day.

The Italian man jumped on the idea immediately. "Yeah, get something else! I'll put it on the house, free of charge! In fact, I won't charge for any of your drinks, 'cause I —"

The waiter pushed the cook aside and turned to them apologetically. "Sorry, he gets kind of weird sometimes. Should I just get you water, then?"

Roderich unsuccessfully tried to ignore his boyfriend's pleading looks and pouts. "...Okay, I'll get get some orange juice, if that's alright." Antonio pressed a happy kiss into his hair in response.

Mr. Roma sighed dreamily. "_Aww_, young love! It's just like us, Sadiq!"

The other man fixed him with an odd stare, as if questioning the man's sanity. "We've only gone on like 2 dates, and you're turning 36..." He shook his head dismissively at the whines that emerged from the chef. "Anyways, what can I get the rest of you?"

Antonio chirped up, "I'll have what Roddy's having! I'll just get water though..." The pianist rolled his eyes at the hypocritical admission.

Across from them, Matthew began, "Um, I'll get the Margherita pizza... And, c-can I get an iced tea?"

Their waiter seemed to easily slip back into his extra-charming mode. "Of course you can!" He smiled freely at the now-blushing Canadian who let out a small 'Th-Thanks, Sadiq...'.

Francis narrowed his eyes slightly, before he let out a small, barely-there contemptuous huff. He then shook his head slightly, his golden curls wavering softly. "I shall get ze fettuccini alfredo, with less sauce, please. I shall have water as well."

"Noted!" The man finished scribbling on his notepad, and gracefully took their menus.

Almost instantly after, the waiter then shot off, and began to prepare their drinks less-than-leisurely as if he were working at a fast food restaurant instead. The Italian man laughed. "He's always so orderly and in a rush. It was nice seeing you boys, though!" He began to head into the kitchen.

The pianist began conversationally, "So... I didn't know you three knew him as well."

Francis laughed easily and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend. "Zey would practically be bankrupt without us. We come here all the time. Matthew enjoys their pizza greatly. Although..." He turned to his boyfriend somewhat sternly. "Someone seems to enjoy coming here maybe a bit _too _much."

Sheepishly, Matthew tried to explain to the rest of them, "I-I just like the food!" When it became apparent that he had only convinced Antonio, he sighed and admitted, "Okay, maybe I _do _like it a lot when S-Sadiq serves me, b-but still!"

Francis rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What was it you had said? That he was like your boyfriend or something?"

As Roderich and Antonio's eyes grew widely in heavy surprise, Matthew spluttered, "N-No! I said he was like half a boyfriend to me!"

At that moment, Mr. Roma exited the kitchen with a basket of bread in his hand. He placed it onto their table softly before he ruffled Roderich's hair playfully. "You guys might not know this, but he's my star piano student! He's better than me now!" He ignored Roderich's small but defiant 'No I'm not...' and then ran his hand through Antonio's hair affectionately before he returned to the kitchen.

Antonio shrugged nonchalantly, his hair slightly messy, and took a large portion of the bread. "So wait, what do you mean he was half your boyfriend?"

"W-Well, he —" Matthew cut himself off and averted his eyes from the knowing waiter, who had delicately placed their drinks onto their table before them.

The waiter laughed heartily, "You guys enjoy..." His sharp eyes swept the rest of the restaurant, and, noticing nothing pressing, brought himself to the kitchen.

The Spaniard swallowed, his throat visibly working, and then began, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you had a crush on him..."

Matthew fumbled with his hands. "I-I did... Maybe I still kind of do... But," he looked over to his boyfriend with care evident in his expression, "I don't need him anymore..."

Francis smiled softly before he turned to Antonio. "So how do you know Mr. Roma?"

Obviously dying with curiosity at Matthew's mysterious statement, he let out, "I used to baby-sit his kids. Er, well, technically they're like his grandkids, but he's their guardian now... You guys know Feli and Lovi? He's their mom's dad's younger brother." He brushed his hand aside as if the details didn't matter. "Anyways, what do you _mean _you don't 'need' him anymore? I'm like dying over the sheer crypticness of it!" He became aware that his breathing had become loud panting, his voice loud in the almost-empty establishment.

Matthew glanced to the side, where he could see the waiter cleaning up a recently vacated table. He leaned in and whispered, loud enough for them to hear him clearly, "It's kind of a dumb story..." At the Spanish teen's urging, he sighed and began to explain. "Okay, well... Back in grade 10 I got down a lot because I didn't have a boyfriend, and I..." He looked over to Francis, who shrugged softly. "...Well, Francis was dating Michelle at the time, and so my only crush wasn't available. Anyways... I used to go here with Alfred all the time, 'cause we both liked the pizza, and it's within walking distance from our house. We'd come here practically every Saturday during brunch time, and so it wasn't busy. These days, though, he goes out to afternoon tea with Arthur."

He took a sip from his glass of iced tea, and continued, his faltering fading as he seemed to grow in confidence. "Anyways, Alfred told me one day that we could both be single together and that we didn't have to be sad just because we were single. I was looking at Sadiq while he talked, and he put two and two together, I guess. I mean, he knew I had a crush on Francis, but he also knew that nothing could've happened, at the time. So Alfred kind of encouraged me to come here whenever I was down about being single, and it sort of worked. I could pretend that Sadiq was like my perfect boyfriend."

He took another sip, and shrugged. "That's what I meant by saying he was half a boyfriend. He was always extra nice to me, as if he noticed I were down, and, well... It doesn't hurt that he's really handsome." Roderich felt himself begin to nod in agreement, but stopped himself. He could see Antonio nodding beside him, and flushed with jealousy.

Francis took note of the two, and snorted. He turned to Roderich and tried to console him. "Whenever I get jealous, I just remind myself of all his flaws. He's older, his hair will turn grey and he likely won't dye it, his hair isn't as blond or gorgeous as mine, he's not as..." He gestured to himself. "...Well dressed or slender as I am, he's always in such a rush, like clockwork on steroids, his hair will _definitely _turn grey, he —"

"Okay, okay, I get it! He's not perfect, but at least he was there for me kind of!" Matthew had gotten riled up at the list of insults, mostly physical, and tried to step in to defend his former half boyfriend. Francis shrugged his shoulders, but stopped his critique. It sounded as if they had argued about it before.

Beside him, Matthew had finished his iced tea quickly, gulping down the innocent drink. Almost immediately after, Sadiq half-ran towards them and took the drink. Francis tried to hide his snicker. Antonio tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Well, he is kinda hot, even though he's old..." _I'd still go for him_. The soccer player forcibly kept that thought from making itself known to the others.

"I hate to butt in, but I'm only 26..." Sadiq placed the drink before Matthew and grinned in an even more friendly manner. The Canadian stammered his thanks, prompting Roderich to try to hide his laughter by taking a sip from his orange juice. Antonio's eyes longingly looked at the drink, but he kept quiet. Missing nothing, the man started, "It _is _on the house... I can get you some orange juice, too, if you'd like."

"Er, no, it's okay..." The soccer player couldn't hide the whine in his voice.

Roderich cut his boyfriend off. "Please, ignore him, he actually does want some. Don't you?" He turned to the teen questioningly, who nodded shyly.

Sadiq nodded and hurried off. Once the man was gone, the pianist noticed his boyfriend's starstruck expression, and groaned. "Not you too..."

Antonio jumped visibly, before he hastily began to whine, "I can't _help_ it, he's hot, handsome, _and_ nice too! He's like everything I want to be like, and then some!"

He forced his mouth to stop talking as the man walked over and smiled before placing the juice onto the table. Once he walked away, Antonio continued to idolize the waiter. "Even his _forearms _are big, as big as his arms! And his chest, I'd worship it, it's like twice as big as Ludwig's! I bet his abs look amazing, I wanna see him with his shirt off, and — Er..." He suddenly became aware of his rambling, and what he was about to say.

Roderich forced himself to stay calm, and grudgingly admitted, "He _is_ really fit-looking..." He grabbed a piece of bread and began to chew it as if it were the poor man's head.

Antonio then piped up, "Hey, I wanted to ask you something, Matthew. Alfred says you were born on different days and in different countries, but how's that possible if you guys are twins?"

Matthew fidgeted. "It's a weird story... There were complications during my Mom's pregnancy, and she started going into labour a bit earlier than was expected. I came out first on July 1st... But Alfred wouldn't come out for some reason. The doctors let her stay in labour for like a whole day after, but he still didn't come out. Then they decided to cut her open with a C-section, but then she had to be transferred to a hospital across the border while she was sedated, 'cause she needed immediate surgery on her back, and it would be quicker to transfer her by driving than wait for the back-specialist doctor to get on the next flight. Then Alfred came out on the 3rd, but he likes to pretend it was the 4th, so that our birthday's would be like Canada Day and the 4th of July."

He let out a little laugh. "But anyways, I feel like I'm the only one getting the third degree! How, er, did you two start going out?"

"Well..." Roderich adjusted his glasses. "One day we just... started talking to each other. The next time we saw each other, he asked me if I wanted to hang out with him. That was when we all went to the movies," the raven-haired teen explained. "Then, when we left the theatre because of Gilbert's fight with Vash, we — Uh..."

Antonio picked up from where he left off eagerly. "We kissed and told each other we liked each other! We didn't really talk for the next week, we only texted each other, so it was pretty lucky that all you guys cancelled on us the week after!"

The Austrian felt his suspicion renew as Matthew started to fidget uncomfortably. The Canadian's eyes fixed itself to his glass and he began to draw shapes on the condensation. Coolly, Francis then stated, "Yes, I suppose it was rather fortunate. ...Oh, look. Our food's here." He looked towards the kitchen doors, where Sadiq was helping Mr. Roma bring over their dishes. The men carefully placed the food before the hungry teens with two bewitching smiles. "You guys enjoy~!" The chef wandered off back to the kitchen, while the waiter spotted customers begin to enter the restaurant.

He smirked at them handsomely, with a sexy 'You boys let me know if you need anything else', and made his way to the front to greet and seat the newcomers.

Roderich tried to ignore his boyfriend's mouth, which was open in practically worship of the built man. He tried to gain his boyfriend's attention. "I, uh, wonder why he's a waiter, busboy, and host..." Antonio absentmindedly shrugged, his thoughts clearly elsewhere, as he began to eat his food. The pianist sighed and mimicked his boyfriend.

After swallowing a large bite, Matthew explained, "I think it's to save himself from the cost of hiring a host during the day when it's not busy... I heard him talk to Mr. Roma once; apparently, they share the business, and Sadiq's pretty much in charge of their finances, as well as being manager of the business and restaurant, among other things."

Antonio slurped from his orange juice dreamily. "He's so hot and talented... I wish he were my boss..." He was only slightly brought from his reverie by his boyfriend's halfhearted smack on his arm.

"Yea—Er, yummy... Th-This pizza's yummy!" Matthew tried to cut himself off, but his astute boyfriend caught on to what he had been about to say, and snorted. Sadiq passed by their table with a few glasses of water and tried to keep his cocky smirk off of his face.

"Don't worry," the man tried to console the two jealous teens, "I only go after older guys."

"Aww..." Antonio couldn't help but whine involuntarily.

Matthew felt his mouth blurt out, "That's even hotter..."

The man just laughed sexily, as if he weren't disturbed by the hero-worship, and headed back into the kitchen. Francis's mood seemed to lighten substantially. He turned to the Austrian and tried to comfort the teen, who had been stabbing his pasta with furious vigour. "Don't worry, Roderich. Antonio's always been a hopeless pervert, but he never acts upon it. I mean..." The French teen shrugged, and let the sentence hang as he began to gracefully eat his food. He smoothly diverted the table's attention towards the food. "This food really is divine." The other teens agreed, but the French teen continued. "I mean, after French food, of course. And not the garbage that they parade around as French in the West. I'm talking about purely authentic French cuisine from France itself."

Matthew nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it was really great when we went there." He turned to the other couple and explained, "Me, Alfred, Arthur, and Francis all went with our families to France over the summer. Francis's mom and Arthur's mom are really close, and Francis and Arthur practically saw each other every day when they were growing up... My Mom wanted to go to Europe last summer, and since Francis goes there every summer, we decided to go together!"

He took a large sip of his iced tea before he softly let out, "I-I like your cooking better, though..." Francis kissed him sweetly in response.

As they ate eagerly, Sadiq regularly refilling their drinks almost as soon as they were finished, Roderich felt himself swell in happiness inside. _This is turning out to be the best birthday I've ever had_, he thought to himself with a small smile. Noticing his boyfriend's thoughtful and happy demeanour, Antonio leaned over and kissed him on the cheek with a subdued but happy grin.


	6. Ch 6

They finished their lunch and headed back to the school for their last period. The two couples waved each other goodbye as they split up in the hallway, Matthew and Francis having Calculus, and Roderich and Antonio having Physics. As the couple entered the Physics classroom, Elizaveta and Feliks looked at them weirdly.

Elizaveta glanced towards Feliks before she turned to them and began slowly, "We were looking for you guys the whole lunch... Where were you two?"

Roderich began, "We were at a restuarant..." In response, Feliks dramatically slammed his head onto his open notebook.

Confused, the couple took the workbench behind the other two. "What's up, Feliks?" Antonio asked, concerned.

The Polish teen just shook his head with an exaggerated moan. Patting her friend on the back comfortingly, Elizaveta explained, "He's kind of down that he doesn't have a boyfriend yet."

Feliks sighed theatrically. _He'd probably do well in drama_, Roderich mused to himself. The blond teen started to complain, "Everywhere I look, I see gay couples frolicking! You and you," he pointed to the couple in turn, "Francis and Matthew, Alfred and Arthur!"

Antonio looked uncertain. "Um, that's only three couples..."

Elizaveta shrugged. "That's not the point. Feliks is right; he's been on the playing field practically ever since he entered high school, way longer than any of you, but he hasn't found anyone yet _ever_." She paused to let the fact sink in, before she continued, "We wanted to ask you for help."

The sulking teen turned to the couple, depressed. "Yeah, we wanted to know some stuff. Like for example, what'd you think of that ice cream worker guy?"

Roderich was bewildered. "Huh? How d'you —"

Elizaveta waved her arm dismissively. "Matthew told us... Yeah. Anyways, did he seem friendly to you two? Or was he homophobic? Did his eyes linger for a while on either of you? Did he —"

Antonio cut in hastily. He wasn't comfortable with the information grilling. "Er, we don't know, okay! H-He was nice enough... He didn't seem to even blink when he found out we were a couple. He's not homophobic. I dunno if he checked us out or not, 'cause I was too busy getting us ice cream!"

"What else did you find out?" Feliks was sitting up more straightly now, curious.

"Er, he moved here three years ago... He's from Transylvania or something..."

"Lithuania," the Austrian corrected.

"Good. Any information we have right now will be key for this operation." Elizaveta was beginning to squiggle onto her notebook as the bell rang, signalling the start of class. Their teacher, Mr. Beilschmidt, began to speak and write upon the whiteboard about circular motion and acceleration. Roderich shook his head and began to pay full attention to the front of the room, while Elizaveta and Feliks began to write onto the paper between them earnestly, obviously not paying any attention. Antonio watched curiously as Feliks grabbed the paper and folded it, slowly lowered it to the ground, and then flicked it back with his shoe in an easy, fluid, and obviously well-practiced movement.

The soccer player ducked down and reached for the sheet, intrigued. He unfolded it and read,

_Okay, listen. Us 2 and you 2 are gonna help Feliks snag a boyfriend/date by the end of today. You can skip your soccer practice 'cause Feliks is more important. Just think of it as a date, with 2 spare tires, one of which is already attached to a car. The goal of the date is to get the __**true**__ lone tire to attach to a car, so to speak. We'll be there as morale support and back-up. Feliks will the the active agent, but we'll supply him with the necessary pick-up lines and conversation prompts. After that, it'll be up to him._

Below the loopy handwriting lay a section of neat printing.

_Okay, so, like, we're going to go to that ice cream parlour and try and ask out the cute worker today. You guys have got to help me out! I already helped you two out sort of! Well, at least, I tried to!_

He began to scribble onto the paper at the bottom. _Wanna help them? Circle one. Yes No_

He nudged his boyfriend, who rolled his eyes but quickly read the offered paper anyways. Roderich hid a snort, but then circled the paper and slid it back to his boyfriend, who looked to the bottom of the page.

_I'm fine with helping them, but please don't bother me again, I'm trying to learn. _Above, the 'Yes' had been neatly circled as if it were a test paper instead of a wrinkled page of thin notebook paper. Smiling at the words, Antonio then dropped the sheet to the ground and slid it forward carefully. Ahead of him, without even looking down, Elizaveta tossed her pencil down to the ground and bent to pick it up. Her hand hastily snatched the paper in the process, and she placed the two objects onto her desk, all the while looking forward as if she were paying attention.

Looking down onto the paper only for a mere moment, she nodded nearly imperceptibly, and then turned to the front and began to copy their teacher's neat and organized notes. Beside her, Feliks glanced down onto the paper, turned around and gave a happy smile and thumbs up, and then too began to, presumably, pay attention. Sighing, Antonio forced himself to focus for the time being and began to halfheartedly copy the jargon at the front.

* * *

><p>After school, Antonio drove the four of them, plus Gilbert, who had felt like tagging along, to Feliks's house, where they had all exited and followed the nervous teen. He and Elizaveta began to throw articles of clothing out of his closet and onto the floor messily, while placing a few choice pieces onto the bed carefully. He explained, "These are the good stuff. Me and Eliza are going to try them out on me, and you guys can wait out here and then judge."<p>

They watched the two disappear into the bathroom, only for Feliks to emerge in a tight black v-neck and equally tight skinny jeans. "W-Well?" Feliks looked towards the three guys expectantly.

"Er... You look kinda gay. No offense," Gilbert added hastily.

Feliks stomped his foot impatiently. "That's the _point_, dumbo! We're looking for an outfit that says 'gay, but not _too_ gay'. 'Eager, but not _that _eager'. 'Body of a trick, and heart of a saint'."

Beside him, Elizaveta straightened the teen's already-straight blond hair, and added, "'Easy to get to_ know_, but _not _easy to get in bed'. 'Looks like fun, but also serious and kind of mysterious'."

Antonio scratched his head. "Uh, how can you convey _all _of that with just clothes?"

Feliks turned to him and snapped, "_That's _the challenge! That's why we need your help, however bad and uninformed it may be!" He huffed, and went into the bathroom to change again, Elizaveta following instantly.

He began to exit the bathroom, only to enter it a few moments later, in short little bursts.

"Er... Too colourful," Roderich tried to help the other teen, as he stepped out in a garish rainbow of colours.

"Not colourful enough, and too dressy. You look like you're an undecided chess piece," Gilbert had offered in response to the blond's black-and-white ensemble. Feliks had tried on a plain white v-neck, with a black vest over top, while he wore some classy black pants for his legs.

"You look like a pair of human chopsticks," Antonio admitted, as the boy had stepped out in a soft, short brown tee and narrow khakis, which brought attention to his long legs.

"Ugh, Eliza, at this rate we'll _never _finish..." Feliks dragged himself back into the bathroom, with Elizaveta dejectedly following. As the door closed, they heard the pair begin to get excited.

"Ooh, how about this? I think it'll bring out the colour of your eyes subtly. Complimentary colours, and whatnot."

"Yeah, you're right! I think the pink'll compliment my skin tone, and grab his attention, y'know?" They heard shuffling in the room, before it opened a minute after.

Appraisingly, Elizaveta nodded her head in approval as the two stepped out before the three other teens. "Yeah, the blue jeans are a nice touch to tone down the vibrancy of it all, and it looks nice with the blue, too..."

Gilbert rubbed his eyes, and tried to cover up a yawn, while Roderich let out tentatively, "Isn't that what you just wore to school...?"

Antonio agreed, and began uncertainly, "Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking..."

Feliks glanced down in surprise. "Oh, yeah, I guess it is. Well, the journey _is _the goal, and stuff. That's what my English teacher said, anyways, LOL. Anyways, whatever, let's go now," he moved to the door and practically jumped down the stairs. They followed the excited and impatient Polish teen out the house's door, which he locked quickly, before they all entered the car again.

After what Antonio personally felt had been an unnecessary, lengthy detour, he drove them all into the heart of downtown and parked the car easily into the crowded space. They all shuffled out of the car, the ice cream parlour across the street. Beside him, Feliks was fussing around with his hair, unsatisfied. The Spaniard tried to soothe the agitated teen. "Your hair's fine..."

The Polish teen faced him sharply, and snapped in response, "No it's not! It looks like a spaghetti monster crapped all over my head when I was born!"

The Hungarian pulled out a brush and swept the blond hair to the side. "There. Now he can see your gorgeous green eyes! Now let's go get your man!" She took him by the hand and began to pull him towards the store. Just a step short from the window, she pulled out a pocket mirror and lifted it up and down Feliks's figure. "You look good, Feliks! I can't see anything wrong... Oh!" She brushed a loose piece of hair off his shoulder. "There..."

Feliks, after surveying himself in the mirror, nodded and looked to the door a few feet away, before he visibly shivered.

Noticing his hesitation, Elizaveta smacked him on the arm lightly. "Come on! We'll go inside with you and pretend we're going to get something. Let's go!"

She opened the door and pushed him inside easily, before she walked in as if she did not know him. Gilbert shrugged, and so the three of them headed inside as well, where they could see Elizaveta and Feliks arguing quietly beside the large collection of ice cream buckets.

"What's the problem?" Antonio stage-whispered as they reached the duo.

The Hungarian tried to straighten her disheveled hair, her face stressed, as she hissed, "He's scared he's not gay, and that he'll beat him up for asking him out!"

Antonio felt himself grin as he thought of an idea. He placed a hand onto the anxious teen and squeezed him comfortingly. "Don't worry, Feliks! Me and Roderich'll figure out if he's gay!"

He tried to ignore the pain that resulted from Elizaveta slapping his arm. "We're all _strangers _right now, so don't act like you know him!"

Antonio shrugged, and dragged his clueless boyfriend up to the front cashier, where the Lithuanian had been watching them uncertainly. "Er, do you guys need help...?"

Antonio panicked, and nudged his boyfriend not-so-subtly in response. He wasn't good at thinking on his feet like his boyfriend!

Roderich stuttered, "W-We were just discussing which ice cream flavours we like. I-It's fun to compare w-with strangers! Eheh..." He finished lamely, and felt himself burn red in response to his own unconvincing lie.

The soccer player nodded a bit too eagerly. "Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I was just here with my boyfriend," he placed extra emphasis on the word by pausing for a moment, "To, er, go on a date! ...'Cause I like guys." His eyes flickered to the other three, who were trying to overhear covertly. "Er... D-D'you like guys?"

The poor clerk was bewildered. "Wh-What?"

The soccer player sighed. _I guess I'll have to be more direct... _He grasped his boyfriend by the back of his head and began to kiss him heatedly, before he abruptly pulled back with a wide smile. He faced the cashier, who was blushing heavily and averting his eyes at the intimate action. "Did you like that?"

The worker shook his head, overwhelmed. "I-I don't really like to date couples, sir, no offense..."

Gilbert snorted, and made his way over to the three, before he muttered, "Go back there and stay there! You watch the master and see how it's done." They obliged, and watched from the sidelines in anticipation.

The German suddenly reached out and felt up the Lithuanian's arm. "Hey, nice arms. D'you work out?"

The affronted teen took a step back. "Er, no, not really..."

The albino continued his verbal assault of compliments. "'S'all good... I like your shirt. It shows off your broad chest and back. And your, er, hair is really... Brown. ...D'you like ice cream?"

The other teen shook his head. "N-Not partic—"

Gilbert's smirk grew as he cut the other boy off. "Great, so do I. Why don't we go out this weekend? I'll take you out for some ice cream... I'm free Saturday night... What d'you say?"

The boy nodded meekly, a light blush on his face, only for Gilbert to do a complete 180 degree turn in his attitude. "Sorry, I was just joking, I hate ice cream. See ya." He headed back to the other four teens, who were watching, enthralled. Elizaveta pushed Feliks forward, and then began to hum and look at a bucket of mango-flavoured ice cream as if it were an intricate painting.

The Polish teen fell a few steps forward, before he straightened up before the confused worker. He began awkwardly, "Um... I-I hear that people who, er... like watermelon ice cream usually ask cute cashiers out... And, er, I-I like w-watermelon ice cream... C-Can I, er, get a watermelon, um... Y-You know..."

"...Would you like to go on a date with me? ...I actually _am _free this Saturday night."

Feliks nodded enthusiastically, blushing furiously but looking as if he had just won the lottery.

The Lithuanian began to smile widely in response. He reached over to the side and ripped a small sheet of paper in half. He wrote onto one with a pen, before he handed the slips of paper and pen to the other teen. "Here's my number... Can you write down your number?"

"S-Sure! I-I'm... M-My name's F-Feliks, by the way!" Feliks fumbled with the pen, which dropped to the floor instantly, before he scrambled to pick it up. As he began to write his number on the paper, the Lithuanian called out from one of the ice cream buckets. "My name's Toris... Would you like watermelon ice cream, or mango ice cream today? You like them both, yeah?"

Finishing, the Polish boy grabbed the other piece of paper as if it were a newborn child, and carefully slipped it into his pocket. He knocked over the pen again, which fell over the counter onto the floor, and stammered, "U-Um, I don't know... Ye-Yeah, I like them both..."

Toris placed a pink and orange ball of ice cream on top of each other into a large cone, and held it out towards Feliks's, whose hands were shaking violently as he fumbled with his wallet. The teen worker shooed his hand dismissively. "It's on the house! We usually have to throw away some ice cream anyways..."

The blond stuttered his thanks as he took the cone into his hands and began to lick it embarrassedly but happily. Toris laughed as he looked at the small piece of paper with Feliks's number, which had a small heart and smiley face beside it. "You're cute... I look forward to Saturday." He bent down and picked up the dropped pen.

Elizaveta shot over to the Polish teen and began to drag him out the door. He nearly screeched in protest, "Wha—Hey, what the heck!?"

Gilbert began to push the two out of the door, explaining, "You gotta let the suspense build, make him itch for more!" He glanced towards the three in the shop. "You guys coming?"

Roderich shook his head with a small smile. "We'll be out in a bit... I just wanted to get something." He pulled out his wallet as the German shrugged and followed his girlfriend outside. The Austrian turned to Toris and asked, "Can we get a double scoop of tomato ice cream?"

The Lithuanian's smile grew as he moved to the buckets of ice cream, calling over his shoulder, "This one's on the house too! I'm in a _really _good mood today, just don't tell my Mama!" As he handed the bowl to the pianist, he confessed, "I was hoping he was interested, too. I even gave him extra scoops whenever my Mama was in the back!"

They thanked him earnestly and exited the shop. Neither of them noticed the small slip of paper that had dropped onto the ground as they headed towards the car, where the other three were waiting for them on a bench.

Gilbert scrunched up his face in distaste. "Ugh... I wasn't lying back there, ice cream's frickin' gross. It's like frozen-but-melting flavoured jizz, or something..." He shivered, though it was unclear whether it was from a cool gust of air or the thought of ice cream.

Feliks chewed the remainder of his cone happily. "I can't believe I did it! And it was all thanks to you guys!" He hugged Elizaveta tightly, who hugged him back, and then tried to wrap his arms around Gilbert, who sidestepped with a 'Whoa, there, your shirt's all messy with frickin' puddles of fruit cum! I don't want you dirtying my new leather jacket with that crap!'

The blond boy snorted, but walked over to the other two and hugged them briefly and appreciatively. As he let them both go, he began to search his pockets leisurely, only to start panicking loudly. "Oh crap! I-I think I lost the paper...!"

His eyes swept across the ground intently but he found nothing. He turned to them, his eyes wild. "I-I've gotta go back and get his number!"

Gilbert didn't even seem phased. "No you don't. You gave him your number, didn't you?"

Elizaveta patted the agitated teen on the back soothingly. "Gil's right. I'm sure he'll text you sometime today. We don't want him to think you're desperate, and besides, he seems into you!"

Roderich felt himself jump in. "He told us that he's always hoped you'd be interested in him as well." Beside him, Antonio nodded vigorously.

"He said he gave you extra scoops whenever he thought his Mom wouldn't notice, too!"

Feliks eyed them uncertainly. "R-Really...?"

Gilbert snickered, and slapped the boy on the back. "You're so pathetic. Have a little faith in him, and maybe you'll be surprised that he doesn't hate you!"

Roderich let Antonio eat the last bit of ice cream before he took their spoons, and the empty bowl, and tossed them into the trash. The five of them entered the car and settled into their seats. As Antonio began to pull out of the parking space, Feliks squealed in excitement.

"I-I think he just texted me!" The Spaniard glanced into his rear-view mirror briefly, spotting the blond teen's excitement. Beside him, Gilbert yawned.

"What'd he say?" He rubbed his crimson eyes tiredly.

Feliks began to read, "'Hi, it's Toris. I think you dropped my number...' Oh, crap, he knows! What do I say?!"

Elizaveta, unworried, patiently began, "Just tell him the truth. He'd probably think it's endearing. Just let him know that you're Feliks, and that you're interested still."

"Okay, how about, yeah, it was an accident, exclamation mark, capital d, x. I can't wait for Saturday, exclamation mark." The Polish teen began to type into his cell phone.

Elizaveta patted him on the back as if he had just won a gold medal, and she were his coach. "That's perfect. Now let's just relax and enjoy the night! The hard part's over, we should celebrate at my house with Roderich's ice cream cake —"

Gilbert cut in petulantly, "You _know _I hate ice cream..."

Elizaveta turned to him angrily, her temper flaring easily. "I _said_ ice cream _cake_! Geez, Gilbert, you're so dumb!"

Annoyed, the German snarled back at her, "_You're_ the stupid one! The other three _just __**had**_ ice cream, and it's called _ice cream _cake for a reason!"

Roderich could feel a headache start to form. He covered his ears and closed his eyes, trying to block out their bickering as he leaned onto the side of the car door and onto the window. _It's going to be a long night..._


	7. Ch 7

**A/N:** _Warning for 'extra special love' scenes from this point onwards._

* * *

><p>After Roderich's birthday, the days seemed to pass by quickly with school work. The late November air had proven chilly as frost began to regularly coat the morning ground. As of late, Roderich had been stressing over his courses, university applications, and shortage of free time to spend with his friends or boyfriend. He felt like he was close to burning the school down, but his courses' homework began to slow as the holiday season began to float to the front of everyone's mind. That, combined with the fact that he had finished all but one of his applications, had allowed him to spend his Friday after school with Matthew, Alfred, his boyfriend Arthur, Francis, and his own boyfriend Antonio. That Saturday morning, he had allowed himself to sleep in, before he had spent some time with Elizaveta, Feliks, and Feliks's new boyfriend Toris, at the mall to Christmas shop at Feliks's assertion.<p>

The Polish teen had insisted, "We have to start Christmas shopping now! Otherwise all the good stuff'll be gone!" He still didn't really know what he would get Antonio, as he wanted it to be perfect, practical, and heartfelt. He hoped to get some hints now, as he found himself lazing around in Antonio's room with Antonio, both of them not doing much.

"Help me think of what I should get you for Christmas." Roderich sat up, deciding it'd be best to hear it from his boyfriend's mouth.

Antonio stopped his spinning in the desk chair, and shrugged. "I dunno what I want... ...How 'bout a kiss?" He grinned cheekily, his eyes hopeful. He dodged the pillow thrown halfheartedly at him easily, and plopped himself onto the bed beside Roderich. He leaned in closer to his boyfriend, who rolled his eyes but pecked him on the lips quickly anyways.

"There... But you _always _get kisses from me. It'd be like working as a baker and eating bread on your birthday." He turned onto his side to face the soccer player.

"Well... You could always give me your cherry..." He grinned in jest, only half-serious. He felt his arm swatted lightly.

"W-We haven't even done... o-other things yet, idiot..." Roderich blushed deeply.

At that, Antonio sat up, his face serious. "Yeah, but... I want us to be even more special... I mean... You've never been with a guy before, right?" He received a small nod, and so continued, "Exactly. As for me... Well... I kinda... messed around back in the day..." He felt his face heat up.

Roderich brought himself to sit against the headboard. "You've never talked to me about this before..."

"I know... I just — It's kind of weird to talk about. I, um..." He decided to get it over with. "...There's this guy I used to mess around with... ...A lot. We never went all the way but... I guess I kind of started to like him. I couldn't help it I guess, 'cause I was being... intimate... with him, and that requires trust, more than trust, actually. One day, I told him how I felt, but he said that he couldn't reciprocate my feelings, 'cause there was someone else he liked." His eyes slid shut at the painful memory. "I-I felt... used... I mean, I guess we both were using each other. No strings attached, that's what we'd agreed... But I guess you can't help what you feel, and sometimes feelings make things complicated."

He paused, letting out a little sigh. Roderich was paying rapt attention, as if he were listening to a crash-course review before an exam. He continued, "I just... don't want you to feel like that, y'know? Like you're just being used... You're special... You don't deserve that."

Roderich shook his head. "No one deserves that... Even the people who bring it upon themselves. Not you, not me, not anyone..." He reached out to his boyfriend and laid his hand there, trying to convey comfort to the other teen. He went on, "...Anyways, I _do _feel special... because of you."

Antonio let out a little laugh, his mood dark. "Roddy... I'm the worst. I say all these things, but I can't help but want to touch you."

Roderich snapped, "_Don't _say that. You're 17, almost 18. What teenage boy doesn't feel that way?"

The Spanish teen's mood lightened slightly. "I dunno... It's just, compared to you I feel like a dirty old man."

Roderich flushed, but persisted. "I... I-I'm not as innocent as you think..."

Antonio grinned, and leaned in to kiss him. Their tongues met as their bodies pressed against each other harshly, the kiss deepening in passion and need. Abruptly, the Spaniard broke the kiss, his reluctance evident in his darkened verdant eyes. "W-We shouldn't do this... After what we've talked about..."

Roderich panted, his mind in a whirl, and set aside his glasses onto the desk with his hands shaking. "I agree that sometimes you should hold things off until later but..." He felt drunk on lust and passion and want. "...Sometimes a guy just... wants to get off. Is that so much to ask from his boyfriend?" He prodded.

Antonio felt his self-control slide away with a little smile. "I guess you're right..." He flung himself back onto his boyfriend, his lips urgently connecting with Roderich's as if it were his only source of oxygen. He fumbled with his shirt before tossing it to the side and out of the way. He noted his boyfriend's eyes roaming over his body appreciatively, lingering along his muscles. He felt his voice come out deeper than its usual mid-baritone. "Let me see your body..."

At that, Roderich nearly flinched, and looked to the side. "U-Uh..."

There was a small pause, the room eerily silent. Antonio could hear the sound of his open laptop's fan spinning. He sighed, and gently maneuvered Roderich's face so that he was forced to look at him. Patiently, Antonio started in a near whisper, "I wanna see your body... Will you let me?"

Roderich tried to hold his gaze steady. "I-I'm... embarrassed..."

Antonio settled onto his stomach on the bed. "...Why?" His tone was careful, as if he didn't want to accidentally offend the pianist.

The Austrian huffed, annoyed at himself. _I just have to ruin it, don't I... _Shifting around, he let out a small breath. "My... My stomach kind of... sticks out..."

Antonio grinned. "Oh. You made me worried, there! That's nothing." He snaked his hand and lifted up Roderich's shirt, who squealed. He felt his hand slapped halfheartedly.

"H-Hey, I'm serious about this..." Roderich tried to keep his voice stern.

Antonio shrugged nonchalantly, unconcerned. He tried lifting the pianist's shirt again, only to be slapped more forcefully this time.

"I-I'm serious!" At Antonio's unimpressed and bored glance, he continued embarrassedly, "I look like I'm fr-freaking pregnant, man boobs, baby bump, and everything!" Maybe that would convince him. He shivered as he took a breath.

Antonio suddenly began to forcefully take his shirt off, tickling him into submission when he struggled. Roderich tried to compose himself, but found it much too difficult when he was laughing from the stimulation. As he felt the shirt leave his body, he tried to cover himself up with his arms, only for them to be pinned down in a constraining manner. He felt his annoyance with Antonio spike up. "H-Hey, what the _hell_?!"

Antonio let him go uninterestedly. "Sorry... I'm just—I'm just trying to see it, but I can't." He tossed the shirt back to Roderich, who fumbled with it in his hands, but didn't put it back on yet.

His temper ebbed down as his curiosity rose. "Can't see what?"

The soccer player shrugged. "The baby bump, the man boobs... All I see is a normal stomach and..." He faced the other teen and smirked impishly. "...Two sexy nipples..."

The pianist felt himself quickly become annoyed again. He tossed the shirt aside and pointed to his stomach insistently. "H-How can you not see it?! It's like a, a..." His hands flew around wildly as he gestured nonsensically, trying to think of an example.

"...A stomach and chest?" Antonio offered. When Roderich shook his head in frustration, Antonio continued, "Er, yeah, anyways... I was saying that your stomach was normal. Which... It is..." He saw his boyfriend open his mouth, and cut him off. "I get it, I get it! Okay, maybe it could be smaller, or tighter, or whatever! It's not even that bad! I never noticed anything wrong with your stomach or chest, and I still don't! And I don't get why you do!" He forced himself to calm down. It was odd, defending his boyfriend from himself.

He rubbed his eyes. "...Okay, listen. Gil's stomach is larger than yours. Have you ever thought his stomach stuck out? Hm?"

He was almost certain of Roderich's answer, and was proven right when, sure enough, the other teen admitted, "...No..."

"Then why can't you let me love my boyfriend and his cute stomach and everything? You're fine the way you are, Roderich! If you ever _were_ fat, I'd let you know, but you know what, _I wouldn't care! _Why can't you be like me and not care, either?" Antonio was adamant that Roderich understood his stomach and chest to be fine.

He heard himself breathing loudly in the room, Roderich sitting up dejectedly, and instantly felt bad at his outburst. He felt himself speak up at the same time his boyfriend did.

"Sorry..."

"You're right..."

"Er... What?" Did Roderich say what he thought he had said?

The pianist moved so that he was right beside the other boy. "I said... You're right. I guess I shouldn't be so harsh on people's bodies, including myself."

Antonio reached his arms to hug his boyfriend. "Yeah... You should have more faith in yourself."

Roderich laughed a bit. "Maybe I should," he agreed.

They lay there for a while, their bare upper bodies against each other. Antonio had a feeling that Roderich would get over his own body image eventually. Roderich could feel Antonio's heartbeat against his back. _This feels nice..._

There was a small pause as they just enjoyed each other's company. After a while, Antonio felt himself speak up impulsively. "You know... I was like you, once... All down and sad, thinking I was fat..."

Roderich shuffled against him, curious. "...Really?" He could feel his boyfriend rest his chin down onto his neck.

"Yeah... I was overweight ever since I was a kid until like grade 9. Well, my mom put me in soccer when I was in 6th grade, but I only really got into it three years later."

He felt himself squeak inside with happiness when he heard a quiet "Yeah, I remember... You told me."

He forced himself to brush it aside for now. He was trying to make a point. "I never told you that I was insecure about my weight, though. Basically ever since grade 4, when kids started to bully me for my weight, all the way up until grade 9... It was pretty horrible. I mean, I had Gil and Francis, but they couldn't be there to protect me all the time... It was hard."

Roderich reached his arm out behind him and gently squeezed him. "...I have more respect for him now." They both laughed softly.

"...Anyways, I know it shouldn't matter what other people say but... It's a big part of my childhood. It's most of what I can remember in terms of school. You transferred to Hetalia in grade 10, right?" At Roderich's nod, he started where he left off. "Yeah... You never saw me until I got fit, then. I guess all I'm trying to say is... I didn't have the need to waste energy on beating myself down with negative talk, 'cause other kids did it for me, but I did anyways. ...That's kind of what I love about kids. They don't judge you on anything besides the kind of person you are. At the soccer camp I taught at, I realized that just because other people said things to me didn't mean that they were right. And even if they were right, so what? Maybe I did weigh as much as two kids my age. That didn't mean I wasn't allowed to have fun, too."

"Yeah..." Roderich breathed out.

"...You get what I mean, right? No one's got a right to beating you down, especially yourself. I don't like hearing other people insult themselves... If I got over myself, other people can, too."

"...Yeah..." They lay there for a while in peace before Roderich felt a cheeky thought cross his mind. "...You're right, Antonio. After all, I got over you and your obnoxious personality, didn't I?" He smiled and laughed when Antonio lightly pinched him.

"That's what you get, you awful person..." They both laughed lightly. Antonio glanced at his alarm clock. It was 7:04 PM. They still had at least an hour and a half before Roderich would leave. With that in mind, he shifted his weight on the bed and proffered, "D'you want to play that question game again? We still have a while..."

"Okay!" Roderich, though he wouldn't admit it, liked playing the game, especially with Antonio. He was proud that he had made it up all by himself.

Antonio felt his own mood lighten in response to his boyfriend's eagerness. "Okay, I'll go first then. ...Would you rather..." His mind filled with all kinds of naughty questions. He flung caution to the wind and chose one of them. "...Have a threesome with me and... Ludwig, or me and Gil?"

He let out a laugh as Roderich blushed, but seemed to consider the question. "Um... Gilbert's with my sister, and he's straight..."

Antonio dismissively waved his hand in front of both of them. "Pretend he's not. Pretend he's gay. Or..." He felt himself throb at the thought. "Pretend that we... seduce him, and he secretly likes it." He tried to control himself down there, and shifted himself so that Roderich wouldn't notice, or worse, _feel_, his reaction in his pants.

Roderich burned brightly red. "...Um... I guess I'd rather choose you and Ludwig..." _I can't believe we're talking about this, and I can't believe I honestly answered it_.

Antonio laughed, and leaned in closer as if he were about to tell a secret. "Um... Can I tell you a secret, and you'll promise not to tell?"

Intrigued, Roderich agreed with an earnest nod.

Antonio began to stage-whisper, even though they were the only two in hearing range. "He was the guy I messed around with..."

The pianist tried to ignore the heated rush of jealousy he felt towards the sexy blond. He focused on the information instead, being surprised at what he had been told. "W-Wow... You have good taste."

Antonio laughed, grinning widely. "I hope you're not jealous... But, yeah, I guess I do."

The Austrian teen smirked. "Yeah... After all, you like me, don't you? That's pretty good taste," he said jokingly.

Antonio rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the smile from sliding onto his face. "Okay, Harry High-Horse... I guess you told the truth, then, huh."

"Mmhm... My turn. Um... ...B-Boxers or briefs?" _I can't believe I had the guts to ask that!_

The Spanish boy answered easily. "On myself, briefs, I guess. On you..." His eyes ran down the other teen lustfully. "Probably anything... But especially briefs."

Roderich felt a surge of bravado fly into him. He let out a fake yawn and stretched his body, purposely bending his upper body forwards to show off his underwear. He pretended to ignore the gaze he could feel his boyfriend pinning him with. "Ah... Okay, I guess you were telling the truth. Your turn."

Antonio shook his head, moving his hands to the pianist's pants, but he bashed them away. "We're playing the game, pervert." Roderich tried to contain his growing state of arousal, and moved away so that he was facing Antonio. He never knew he could find it in himself to be such a tease.

The Spanish teen let out a disappointed sigh, somehow sounding innocent despite his less-than-pure intentions. "Okay... Yeah, I was. Would you rather..." His eyes scanned the room for ideas, landing on a small poster of a red Spanish racing car. _Red race car... Red car... Cherries are red...! _He felt himself quiver as he debated whether he should ask what he was thinking of or not, but he couldn't deny that the sexual tension in their relationship was becoming unbearable. There was only so much he could take. With that in mind, he decided to just go for it.

"...Do you still have your 'cherry'?" He felt like face-palming at the corny line. He even already knew the answer, but he couldn't think of a question that would be as sexually charged, while still leaving the ball in Roderich's court.

There was a small pause before Roderich snorted. "'Cherry'? Really? ...Well, anyways, to answer your question, no. A greedy, purple little bird flew by and took it from me as I was about to eat it. Are you done? Or would you like to know if my 'oranges'..." he punctured the air with his fingers, making air quotations. "...Have been taken as well?"

He felt himself deflate. _Maybe that was a bit forward. ...Okay, a lot forward._ He whined, "I wasn't really asking! I-I'm just so..." _Turned on? Ready to screw my hand in the bathroom?_

Roderich felt a bit bad at his boyfriend's pitiful expression. He _did_ want to take things to the next level, but until recently today, he hadn't found a way to bring it up. _Maybe I can salvage this... _He gulped, and decided to take the figurative plunge.

"U-Um... Let's just pretend it's my turn. Um... Are you... s-solid...?" He cringed visibly at the awkward adjective switch.

Antonio didn't seem to catch on. "A-Am I what?"

Roderich groaned. His boyfriend was denser than he had thought. "J-Just answer with a yes or a no!" He snapped.

"O-Okay! Er, no?" Antonio sheepishly answered, unsure of what the question had been asking.

_Okay... S-Step two... _"W-Well, I think you're ly-lying..." The Austrian tried to calm himself down.

The Spanish teen shrugged. "Uh, okay..."

_T-This is it...! St-Step three! _"Y-Yeah... And I c-can pr-prove it!" He forced his hand to move forward, and lower... Lower... Until...

Antonio was bewildered. He had no idea what the hell had been going on, but now Roderich had placed his hand firmly onto his crotch. He felt himself harden instantly, aching for release as if he had been turned on for the duration of the whole evening. "Wh-What're you..."

Roderich forced himself to spill the corny words. "I-I was right... You _a-are _s-solid..." He finished lamely.

Understanding and lust flashed in rapidly darkening green eyes before he was shoved onto his back, the breath knocked out of him. "Oof!"

"Now I get it... I bet you're solid down there too... Or at least, you will be..." Antonio's voice had warped to become tinged with huskiness, his hands tearing off both of their pants quickly. The Spaniard's eyes roved around his boyfriend's body hungrily. He felt himself spurt a bit of pre-cum at the sight of Roderich in his briefs.

He began to kiss the pianist passionately, his body roughly moving against the gasping teen's body. Their hips began to move in tandem against each other, their hands wandering and exploring each other's bared skin. Antonio broke apart, breathing heavily, before he began to harshly assault his boyfriend's neck, who appreciatively moaned in response. The Spanish teen's nipples began to harden as Roderich's trembling hands began to play with them tentatively, prompting a groan from Antonio. Abruptly, Roderich insistently brought his hands to Antonio's briefs, tugging softly. He sighed breathily, "Want these off..."

Obliging his boyfriend, Antonio teasingly slid them off his hips and down his thighs, his erection sticking out like a saluting soldier. He could feel the pianist's eyes widening at the sight of his cock, his face flushing even as his eyes darkened in want. He lifted his knees and threw them across the room, before he brought his own hands to Roderich's briefs and slid them down slowly, savouring the reveal of his boyfriend's skin inch by inch. He felt himself salivate at the sight of Roderich's arousal, which had let out a small pool of pre-cum at his actions.

Unable to hold back any longer, he lowered himself down so that their cocks were against each other. He brought his hand to hold both of their arousals, and shifted his hips experimentally. _O-Oh... It's been too long... _He hadn't messed around with Ludwig ever since the beginning of the summer.

Roderich panted, and began to thrust his hips shallowly in response into Antonio's hand and against his erection. It felt amazing, finally being able to pleasure each other physically.

Antonio stopped his hips briefly, before he pulled his hand away, embarrassedly. "U-Um... I'm gonna get some lu—st-stuff, so that we don't ch-chafe our... 'junk'..." Their faces burned at his words. The soccer player could remember times he'd messed around with Ludwig, and had neglected to use lubricant. Sometimes, though not always, it had made his skin down there tender and sore for a couple days.

He hurriedly dug through his school supply drawer, which hid his collection he'd gotten from Francis. He shifted aside a box of pencil crayons and his compass and protractor set, revealing several small bottles and many packets of assorted condoms. He took a bottle at random and shoved the drawer shut. He propped open the cap and poured a small amount into his open hand. Instantly, he could smell the scent of pineapples fill the room, and apparently, Roderich could, as well. "Um..."

He felt mortified. Why did he have to choose a flavoured one? He distinctly could remember only choosing a pineapple-flavoured one, and a watermelon-flavoured one. He tried to ignore the smell, mostly unsuccessful.

He brought himself onto his boyfriend so that their chests and erections were touching, and spread the liquid around their arousals, groaning at the pleasant sensation. Roderich began to move his hips, his breath shaky, as Antonio began to jerk them off with his hand slowly. His own hips began to thrust, the speed and pressure increasing, as he felt the heat in his body escalate. He had dreamed of doing these kinds of things to Roderich ever since the school year had began, and now he finally was fulfilling one of those dreams.

Roderich's breath came out spastically, unevenly, as he ground his erection against his boyfriend's. The sweet pineapple smell had begun to mix with the scent of their natural musk and sweat, assaulting his nose with the pleasant mix of aromas. He felt Antonio's own hot breath against his neck, his bangs slightly wet with sweat. He could feel himself close to cumming, and sped up his body's movements in accordance until it looked like he were gyrating on the dance floor.

"Nngh, I-I'm gonna—!" He felt himself spurt salty jets onto Antonio's lube-stained hand mere moments before Antonio groaned and began to cum as well. Their semen began to mix as it shot out of their pulsing cocks erratically, dripping onto their sweat-laden bodies. The teens continued to thrust their hips and pant, until the torrent of cum steadied to small drops gathering on their arousals.

The spent Spaniard fell onto his boyfriend, feeling his body begin to cool down. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, and could feel the Austrian's heartbeat pumping against his chest. They lay there for a few moments, letting their heads clear, as they cuddled. After a small while, Antonio reluctantly rolled off of Roderich, explaining, "I don't wanna crush you... And we should get cleaned up, too..." He grabbed the tissue box on his desk and began to grab some.

Roderich let out a small sigh. "Yeah..." He took a few tissues from Antonio's offering hand, and wiped himself clean, shivering as he did so. _I can't believe I came so quickly... _He felt a bit embarrassed, but then again, Antonio had cum, too, almost immediately after he had. Inwardly, he shrugged, and began to dress into his clothes. Finishing, he then tossed the used tissues into the trash under Antonio's desk. Hastily, the now-dressed Antonio then made to cover up their mess.

The pianist watched, confused, as Antonio grabbed the bottle of lube, threw it into one of his drawers, and covered it up. The Spanish teen then took his pencil sharpener, and dumped its contents of colourful pencil crayon shavings into the trash, before he tossed it into the aforementioned drawer. Satisfied, he grinned. "There, how's that for clean up!"

Roderich laughed, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Yeah, yeah... Come here. I still have like 85 minutes to spend with you, maybe more if I feel like staying over a bit late."

Obediently the soccer player complied. He lay himself down beside Roderich, whose eyes were closed peacefully. "Hey, don't fall asleep! How're you gonna get home?" Antonio lightly nudged the Austrian.

"Mmrh... Not sleeping... Stop talking..." As he slurred those words, his eyes remained shut.

With a small, theatrical sigh, Antonio shifted himself so that he lay closer to his boyfriend, and decided that it wasn't important, for now. His own eyes drifted shut...

* * *

><p>He awoke to quiet rapping on his door, followed by a quiet "Antonio?" Still lethargic, he stubbornly kept his eyes shut, and moved his arm to block out the harsh light. He heard the door open slowly.<p>

"Antonio? Antonio..." He could hear his mother's soft voice in his makeshift darkness, insistent. He sat up slowly, his eyes crinkled shut and feebly trying to open while blocking out the intense light.

"What..." His voice sounded pathetic even to himself.

"It's 10:30... I didn't want to bother you guys, but isn't Roderich supposed to be home by now?" He could make out the vague shape of his mom standing by the lights and the door. Rubbing his eyes, he forced himself awake.

"Yeah... I'll go wake up Roderich and drive him home. Thanks, Mama."

She nodded, and exited and shut the door quietly. Antonio sighed. He knew it was futile, but he had to try anyways. "Roddy... Roddy, get up..." He poked his boyfriend.

"Noo..." His boyfriend sounded drunk on wine as he whined.

He ran a hand through his bed-head-ruined hair. "I know you don't want to, but you have to..."

No response. After a few moments of silence, only broken by Roderich's soft, steady breathing, Antonio walked over to the lights and turned the main light off. He switched the smaller one on, and then walked over to the bed, shaking his boyfriend repeatedly. "Come on..."

"'M tired... Lemme stay here..." Antonio felt himself jump around inside at the thought, but he knew he couldn't. Not today, at least.

"...Tell you what, if you get up, and let me drive you home, I'll let you sleep over next week, 'kay?" He hoped that would be enough to encourage his boyfriend to wake up temporarily.

It was. He heard a grudging "...'Kay..." as his boyfriend began to move off of his bed. The sleepy teen reached over to the desk like a drunken man, trying for a few moments too long to put his glasses on correctly.

He felt himself smile in return. "Okay, I've got your stuff, so we just need to get your shoes at the front..." He led the half-sleeping boy by the arm down the stairs, and opened the front door. Roderich had unenthusiastically slipped his feet into his shoes halfway, and began to shuffle out the door like a zombie. Amused, Antonio followed, closing the door behind him and locking it. He unlocked the car, and settled into the driver's seat, Roderich beside him in his seat belt, and looking like he'd doze off at any moment.

He shook his head with a small smile, and started the car. As he drove onto the street, he could see Roderich's head lolling as he slept.

After a few minutes of driving, they had arrived in front of Roderich's house. As per usual, the Spanish teen felt awed at the sight. It was... huge. Gorgeous. It looked both modern, with its sharp angles and flawlessly white paint job, and antique, with a pointed roof and chimney, and large mahogany door. If he ever lived with Roderich, he would want to live in a house like that.

Deciding he'd have more time to fantasize about their future together at some time other than the dead of night, he parked the car, and exited. Opening the passenger door, he began to prod the sleeping teen. "Oi... Roddy..." No response. _Oh, not this again... _Antonio felt as if the teen could sleep through a thunderstorm.

He shook his boyfriend harder. "Roddy! C'mon, we're at your home! ...Uh..." He wasn't sure of how he could wake up the other teen short of physical pain. "Um..." He looked towards the dark lawn and mahogany door. With a sigh, he shut the door gently, and approached the Austrian's house. Nervously, he used the door's metal weight to knock, and waited a few moments. He wondered if he was supposed to door-bell instead, and was about to reach for it, when the door opened, revealing a yawning Elizaveta.

"Oh, hey, Antonio... Where's Roderich?" She rubbed her eyes.

"Eheh, um..." He scratched the back of his neck. "He's in the car... Sleeping..."

Confused, Elizaveta roused herself more fully. "Okay... Why didn't you wake him up?"

The Spaniard groaned, "I tried like 10 times, but he's not listening! I dunno how to get him to wake up!"

Elizaveta just chuckled, a sadistic gleam in her eye. She headed out to the car in her slippers, an uneasy Antonio following from behind. She threw the door open carelessly and began to slap the Austrian's forehead. "Hey... Hey!"

Roderich stirred, his eyes evidently confused. "What...?"

Elizaveta cackled. "There, piece of cake! Say bye to your boyfriend, Roderich!" She reached over, unbuckled his seatbelt, and began to drag him by the arm to their house's open door. Antonio watched as he followed her like a pouting, tired toddler. He didn't seem to register that Antonio was standing there, or that he had just been slapped on the forehead repeatedly.

The Spanish teen could hear his whining fade from afar as they began to enter the house. "I wanted the green box..." He mumbled, seemingly unsure of what he was saying himself. He grinned lightly at the nonsensical words. _My boyfriend's so cute...! _He waved to Elizaveta, who had controlled Roderich's limp arm like a doll in return, before the door slid shut.

With a small smile, the teen entered his car and prepared to drive home.


	8. Ch 8

Elizaveta groaned and whined for what Feliks felt was the millionth time that uneventful Monday. She could never catch them kissing no matter how much she tried for the past 2 months. She suspected that Roderich had been purposely shaking her off of their tail. _It's not fair, this is not fair, life is not fair..._

Her best friend, and budding fashion designer, Feliks sat beside her in the school cafeteria on top of an empty table. It would be easy for them to get in trouble from any passing teachers, but Elizaveta was too down to care, and Feliks was too... carefree to worry about getting in trouble, to say the least. Currently they were discussing how she had failed to capture the photos she had promised her loyal fans on her blog. Gilbert had yet to take the picture he had promised, claiming he always forgot whenever he had hung out with the new couple.

Beside her, Feliks's voice piped up, lightly scolding, "I like totally called it before you did, Eliza. You totally missed _the_ perfect opportunity. You shouldn't have let your guard down, y'know? Constant vigilance, as Professor Moody would say. Oh wait, he died, didn't he? Or was that the ugly elf thing? His clothes were disgusting, he should have worn like a soft baby blue pillow case made by Bed Bath and Beyond or something, maybe then he wouldn't look like my trash can's dead grandma... ...Anyways, you, like, so owe me, like, those yaoi titles you promised. Like, oh my gosh, did I tell you about that time when Toris and I were making out, and then his mom — Like, oh my gosh! Eliza, girl, there's an emergency!"

She felt her hands instantly drift to her chest, where a camera was attached by a necklace. "Feliks, is it...!"

Feliks laughed and slapped her lightly on the arm. "No, you silly girl. It's that British boy! The one with the eyebrows. He's a walking fashion hazard, a catwalk emergency waiting to happen." He pointed a manicured index finger to Arthur, who was scowling as he shuffled down the hallway. "Shoes totally don't match his pants. And really, collared shirts? That was so, like, 2010. I mean, if you _really _want to go for the preppy look, although I personally don't recommend it, you should totally wear..." Elizaveta sighed and tuned her best friend out. She lowered her camera dejectedly. Maybe she would never get a good shot...

"Oh my gawd! Holy Angelina Jolie! It's him!"

Elizaveta turned in a panic. "Where?! Who?!" She spun on her heel and almost lost her balance.

"Ludwig! He's kissing some guy up at the stairwell! I knew he swung that way! My intuition's always right!" Feliks babbled beside her as he jabbed a finger in the German's direction.

Disinterested, she settled her camera back onto her chest. She sighed defeatedly, reminiscent of a random person off the street recognizing their inability to compete in a 100 meter dash with an Olympian. "What's the point..." Feliks was about to indignantly protest, when his demeanour shifted and he exclaimed, "Holy shit, Brad Pitt! It's them!"

Elizaveta rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Who, Bradgelina?"

"No! You know! _Them! _They're kissing! Hurry!" A Polish voice insisted frantically.

Elizaveta felt her heart begin to thump twice as fast. _Could it be?_ She fumbled with her camera, and pointed it to the direction that Felix was repeatedly stabbing the air with. "Over there, over there!"

She focused the camera lens in, and her eyes saw what seemed to be a heavily flushing Roderich pinned to the lockers by an enthusiastic Antonio, while they made out passionately. _Click! Click! Click click click click click click click click!_

She was still clicking after they had broken apart and walked further down the hallway, and then up some stairs out of sight.

"Uh... Eliza? You're, like, totally scaring me, girl! Th-They're gone, why're you still—"

Elizaveta slowly turned to him, her nose dripping blood freely as she let go of the camera. It fell onto her breasts, before settling to hang in front of her chest. Her face was at peace, as if she was experiencing total bliss. "Ahh... Ohh, Feliks... My life is complete... My blog fan count... My fanfiction reviews... They'll skyrocket!" _They'll see! I'm not a liar! I deliver on my promises!_

At that moment, she passed out and fell to the floor with a thud from the blood loss and excitement, the camera falling with a small thud. Feliks sighed and rolled his eyes as he began to drag her to the nurses. _This was totally, like, so not happening yet again. ...I want my Ludwig pictures. _Even though he was going out with Toris, it didn't mean he had to give up the opportunity of hunky blond Germans named Ludwig, right?

* * *

><p>Elizaveta awoke to see a nonchalant Feliks above her. "Oh, I was hoping I wouldn't have to carry you all the way to the nurse's." He helped her up and dusted off her pants. "There, you finally got your pictures! You didn't even have to wait for Gilbert to make good on his promise! Now let's try and snap some of Ludwig, okay?"<p>

She literally jumped. "The camera! W-Where is it?!"

Feliks raised a delicate eyebrow. "Um, over here...?" He took off his backpack and scrounged around, pulling out the camera shortly after. Elizaveta snatched it greedily, wanting to make sure that they were truly there.

As she began to mess around with the camera, Feliks brought his school bag onto his back again. "Y'know, I'm surprised they started making out right in the hallway. I wonder why they've never done that 'til now..." He snickered. "Maybe they had a _relationship upgrade_, y'hear me?"

She ignored him, and tried accessing her photos, but the screen remained blank. Confused, she turned to Feliks.

"Did you... turn it off or something?" Her tone was cautious, as if she were scared of his answer.

"Umm... No... I didn't do anything at all." Feliks scratched his hair, confused, but not really concerned as long as it wasn't about Ludwig. He'd gotten bored with Roderich and Antonio almost immediately after their failed picture-taking attempt at the park. Even though he did have a boyfriend now, that didn't mean he couldn't ogle hot blond German guys, right? "Why, what happened?"

Her heart began to thunder as she fumbled with the power button. _I-It should be okay... I've dropped this baby tons of times, even spilled water on it once, and nothing's happened..._

She let herself grin at the small victory when the startup screen began to show. _Everything's fine so far... Just have to check the pictures..._

As soon as it had booted up, she hastily scrambled to the picture folder and opened it.

Nothing. _Nothing._

She forced herself to take a deep breath. Several deep breaths. Beside her, Feliks was uneasily shifting his weight.

"U-Um... I'm guessing you somehow didn't get the pictures? ...N-Now that I think about it, you _did _kind of pass out and fall to the ground, along with the camera..."

She felt her eye twitch. _Fine. Fine! I see how this is. _She didn't know whether she was talking to fate, karma, or luck, but she was through with failure. _I'm going to be a big girl about this. If I can't take these pictures, then someone else fucking will! _Her hand instantly flew to her pants pocket. She threw her hand out, along with her cell phone, and dialled Gilbert.

There was a pause as she ran a frenzied hand through her disheveled hair.

..."Hey babe! What's — Wh-Whoa..." His cheerful voice faltered as she practically screamed into the innocent, undeserving phone at her guiltless boyfriend.

"Gilbert! _Get me those fucking pictures!_"


	9. Ch 9

The bell had just rung, signalling the end of the penultimate week of classes. A cheerful buzz began to build into a mixed chorus of unintelligible words as eager students started to open their lockers and exit the building. Antonio was ready to spend the rest of the day with his boyfriend, and hopefully sleep over with him at his house. He hoped his mom would allow him... He opened his locker absentmindedly and began to shove his textbooks and binders into the small space. As he closed his locker, he felt an arm wrap around his neck and rest on his shoulders.

"Heya, Antonio, mind if I hang out with you and Roddy?" Gilbert's red eyes shone hopefully. Lacking the heart to turn him down, but really wanting to spend the day just with his boyfriend, Antonio sighed.

"Uh, I dunno... I kinda wanted him to sleep over with me today though..." His eyes darted to the German's, who had let out a gasp.

"Y-You guys have a-already...?!" Antonio flushed violently, and shook his head vehemently.

"N-No, I just — I just wanted to hang out with him for like a few hours!" As an unconvinced Gilbert raised a lazy eyebrow, he admitted, "Okay, maybe a lot of hours."

Gilbert wiggled his eyebrows. "_Oh_, so you're _going _to have sex with each other. Gotcha."

The Spanish teen exclaimed, aggravated, "W-We're just having a sleepover! It doesn't mean we're going to have sex with each other!"

He felt himself turn both red and white when he heard a small, unoffending cough. "Um..."

Roderich stood to the side awkwardly, his face pink, as a small audience, laughing, watched the scene unfold curiously. Ignoring them easily, Gilbert confidently strode over to the Austrian. "Oh, great! You don't mind if I crash with you two, d'you? I swear, I'll be the best third wheel ever! I'll cover my eyes and everything when you guys jerk off or whatever and stuff!"

_Ugh, kill me... _Roderich let out a groan. "L-Let's just leave, Anton'..."

An offended Gilbert indignantly began to follow them. "No, come on, man! Please! I promise I'll stop bothering you in classes!" Reluctantly, Roderich looked towards Antonio in defeat, who shrugged as if to say, "It's up to you." Defeatedly, the pianist nodded, and started to trudge down the stairs, the German's arm hooking around his neck to rest upon his shoulder.

"Great! You two won't regret it! Eliza says she knows these really good gay porn sites, maybe you two could watch them and learn a thing or two! It must be hard being gay, no pun intended." He let out a chuckle at his own joke.

Keenly aware of both his and his boyfriend's burning face, Roderich sternly turned to the German and said, "If you don't stop talking, maybe we'll just... k-kick you to the curb!" He felt Antonio take him into his arms with a small hug.

The tanned teen turned to Gilbert, who was trying and failing to hide his snickers. "Gil, I'm not gonna let you come with us—" At that, Gilbert let out a snort, before he began to laugh in earnest. Embarrassed and a bit mad, he continued, "W-We're not letting you stay with us if you keep acting like this!"

Finally, Gilbert stopped laughing, his face serious and in deep thought, his eyes to the side. Whatever he had been thinking of must have sobered him greatly, because he then nodded, and looked down dejectedly. There was a lengthy pause before he let out a reluctant "...Sorry."

Antonio shrugged, his mood lightening easily. "'S okay! C'mon, let's go! Maybe it'll be more fun with the three of us!" They passed by Francis, who looked at them weirdly, before he shook his head and gripped Matthew protectively.

"I won't let them corrupt you, my sweet." The francophonic couple hurriedly slipped by, deaf to Antonio's spluttering.

"I-I didnt — Oh, never mind!" Frustratedly, he ran a hand through his dark curly hair. "Whatever! People can think we're having threesomes and orgies and all, but as long as we know we're not, it's fine!" He pointedly glared at random passer-bys who looked at him oddly.

Roderich felt himself prickle with annoyance. "Y-You both should just s-stop talking, okay?!"

Antonio whimpered pathetically. "But I _like_ talking..." Nevertheless, the trio made their way out to Antonio's car in the school parking lot. As he opened the back door, Gilbert had a nagging feeling at the back of his head. He could swear he had forgotten something back at the school, but shrugged. _It must not be that important if I forgot about it._

He settled into the back, and buckled in. Giving him a wary glance, Roderich opened the front passenger side door and put his seatbelt on carefully. Gilbert smiled cheekily. "See, I'm already fulfilling my promise! And this is only the beginning!"

Antonio grinned, looking to the two of them for a moment before he started the car engine. "Wow, you two aren't fighting for once!" He began to back the red car out of the small parking space, and then moved the three of them forward onto the street.

Suddenly remembering that he had to ask permission for the sleepover, Roderich began to call his home number. Elizaveta picked up almost instantly. She had been sick again as a result from her 'monthly gift', she had grumbled. On the plus side, she hadn't seemed as ill as she had the last time. "Yeah?" She seemed irritable.

"Uh, where're Mom and Dad?" He fidgeted with his shirt nervously. He had never had a sleepover before, so he hoped that would be an advantage in successfully gaining his parents' permission.

"They're out. Why." She sounded more annoyed and confrontational than curious.

"Um, I'm gonna sleep over at Antonio's with him and Gilbert." He was surprised by her next words.

"O-Oh! Th-That's great! Uh, I — D-Don't worry about Mom and Dad! I'll tell them about it and stuff! You guys have fun!" He swore he could see her wiggling from side to side in glee.

"Urm, okay, thanks... ...Bye." He moved his finger to disconnect the call, as he heard a giggling, girlish "Byeee!"

Beside him, Antonio sighed. "Ah... Shoot. I still have to call my Mom. She didn't even know you were sleeping over today, and now I have to ask for two people to stay over!"

Gilbert straightened up in the back, seeming less like himself and more like a good-natured, white-haired and red-eyed all-American boy from the 1950's. "Oh, that's easy! Me and Francis stay over all the time!"

They reached a stop light, and Antonio turned briefly to face the German teen with a little scowl. "Yeah, but... She knows that Roderich's my boyfriend. Why'd she let him sleepover?"

Gilbert's impishly sweet smile grew. "Hehe... You two owe me big time! It's easy, she'll see that I'm with you two, so she'll know that nothing'll actually happen 'cause I'll be there!"

Antonio brought his attention back to the street as he began to drive again. Though Gilbert couldn't see his face, it was obvious he was in high spirits at the German's words. "You're right! Wow, this was actually a good idea!"

Gilbert let out a huff at the backhanded compliment, but said nothing. He sulked inwardly. _My girlfriend's so lucky I'm such an awesome guy..._

They shortly reached the modest house, and began to pile out of the car. They reached the door, which was eagerly unlocked by the Spaniard. He called out as soon as the door opened. "Mama! Can Gil and Roddy sleep over!" He seemed absolutely sure of himself.

They heard movement from the kitchen as a gentle but obviously-in-charge woman headed towards them. Her strong and caring eyes were framed by a delicate-looking face, her raven hair flowing gracefully onto the sides of her face. She greeted her son with a big hug, who reciprocated it tenfold. Letting go of her son, she faced the other two boys. "Oh, hello, Gil and Roderich. It's nice to see you two again." Her alto voice radiated hospitality.

Gilbert kicked his shoes off, and then went to place them by the door, before he entered the kitchen, talking over his shoulder. "Yeah, nice to see you too, Mrs. Carri!"

Roderich felt himself snort at the teen's contradictory actions. He felt his manners shift into place. "It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Carriedo."

Antonio butt in before his mom could respond. "Mama, can they sleep over?" He was kicking his shoes off as well, before he mimicked the German's actions by settling them onto the welcome mat carefully.

Roderich averted his eyes. He could sense the woman's hesitation, her gaze flickering towards him involuntarily. At the lack of response, Antonio began to whine shamelessly. "Mamaaa, pleeease? _Por favor?"_

She was about to answer, when an excited voice called out from the kitchen. "Wow, are you making a lasagna?! It smells yummy!"

Mrs. Carriedo's eyes glanced towards the kitchen, before she smiled warmly. "...Of course they can sleep over." She turned to face Roderich. "You make yourself at home, dear." He looked at his boyfriend, who was beaming wildly, and felt himself smile slightly in return at the sight. She began to head back into the kitchen where Gilbert was visibly trying to stop himself from 'taste-testing' the meat sauce. The pianist felt his hand grasped by the soccer player. Insistently pulling on his boyfriend, Antonio began to ramble. "Come on! We can..." He leaned in closer conspiratorially and stage-whispered, "_...Make out_... Before Gilbert comes back up!"

Roderich felt his pants begin to tighten down below in response. He _did _like a good make-out session... He nodded with a blush, and followed his excited boyfriend up to his room.

Once inside, they dropped their school bags like they were full of weights and began to kiss heatedly against the wall. Antonio's hands fumbled with the door behind him before he kicked it shut hastily, all the while his tongue danced against his boyfriend's.

Antonio broke apart with a pant and tore off his hoodie. Demanding hands roamed over his boyfriend's body, impatient for his jacket to come off. Roderich brought his hands from his boyfriend's chest to clumsily unzip his jacket, before he flung it to the side and hurriedly began to French kiss the Spanish teen as if it were his only source of sustenance in life. Their hands fleetingly trailed over each other's chests before they settled above their brushing hips on their pants. Their kiss grew in intensity as Antonio began to slide Roderich's pants down. The Austrian felt his excitement grow as his pants slid down to his knees, their bodies roughly humping each other against the wall.

Antonio panted heavily, his eyes glittering. "I want yo—"

"Hey, your mom says she's ordering us a pizz—Uh..." Gilbert froze mid-step, his red eyes switching from nonchalant to embarrassed in a second. His eyes flickered down Roderich's legs, where he could see a substantial portion of his unclothed thighs, and an obvious bulge. Instantly, Roderich yelped and jumped behind Antonio, struggling to pull his pants up and trying to regain some decency. Antonio's voice shook as he tried to scold his friend.

"C-Can't you knock?!" He felt his excitement down there begin to wilt easily, like a flower under intense sunlight.

Indignantly, the blushing Gilbert spat out, "_Sorry_, but I _kinda _wasn't expecting you guys to be dry humping each other like rabbits!"

He kept his eyes averted as he threw himself onto the bed. Now fully dressed, but still blushing with his hair disheveled and his glasses slightly askew, Roderich let out a groan and fell onto the bed face-first, utterly embarrassed. _Oh well... It __**could**__ be worse..._ _Maybe. _The mood began to shift towards normal, albeit only slightly awkward. Gilbert coughed once inadvertently before he continued, "Uh, yeah... Your mom said she'd get us a pizza as a snack." He glanced towards the Spanish teen, who was spinning in his chair in thought, his face returning back to its normal hue.

Gilbert smirked. "...Your boyfriend has hot legs. Real meaty and supple, y'know?"

Roderich lifted his arm and smacked Gilbert, hard. "I'm right here! And don't—"

"Oh, okay, fine. _You_ have nice supple legs. I like a man with meat on his bones, y'know? ...Lots of it." He began to snicker sadistically, dodging a blow from the enraged Austrian.

"Don't say that about me!" Roderich snapped heatedly.

Gilbert pretended to be sorry, though his eyes remained sparkly with mischief. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean it. Your legs are actually twiggy, like chopsticks. I respect that." He tried to hold back a snort of laughter.

Roderich huffed, and turned his head, his chin held up defiantly. He wasn't going to dignify the buffoon with a response. He caught Antonio's amused eyes, and felt his anger dissipate slightly. "...So what're we going to do for now? We have at least 6 hours before we sleep, I'd say..."

Antonio instantly burst out, excited. "I know! We can play Truth or Dare!" Catching his boyfriend's eyes flicker to the German for a split second, he prodded, "C'mon, Roddy, it'll be fun! Me, Gil, and Francis've been playing this game for years, and they've never told anyone!"

Gilbert smirked lightly. "Well, I _did_ tell Eliza about those times you and—Er..." Roderich's eyes shot towards the German in thinly-veiled jealousy and vindication, as well as grudging questioning.

Hastily, Antonio cut in, "I, er, told him about Ludwig already, if that's what you meant..."

The German shrugged. "Okay. It was too funny to _not_ tell her, though! There haven't been any other guys, anyways, right?" He didn't seem to want an answer, and so continued immediately, "Anyways, let's get started! I'll go first, 'cause you two had to practically flash me when I innocently walked in! Uh... Roddy!"

"What..." The Austrian looked over towards him carefully.

The albino snorted condescendingly. "Truth or dare, obviously! I thought you were supposed to be smart."

Roderich fought back a snappy retort. "...Truth."

"Haha, playing it safe, eh? Smart move, white meat. Now... Let's see..." His red eyes grew as he thought of something. "Have you ever put stuff inside down there?" He grinned evilly.

Stiffly, Roderich shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what you're talking about. ...My turn. Uh, Antonio—"

"Hold it, four eyes! That's not how this works! You gotta answer the question, otherwise you can't play! Me, Francis, and Antonio _always _man up and answer, or do the dare. So what's it gonna be, chicken thighs!" Gilbert's eyes were narrowed, his body language confrontational.

Roderich turned to his boyfriend, hoping for support, but Antonio merely shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, Roddy, but he's right. I-If you don't answer, you can't play..." His eyes seemed guarded, as if he didn't want to disappoint himself.

He sighed. Antonio could probably ask him to rob a bank and he'd do it. "F-Fine... I, uh... ..."

Mercifully, Gilbert gleefully cut him off. "That's good enough for me! The silence says it all. Welcome to the man club, Roddy. Nothing is too hard to admit or do."

Antonio cut in, "Wait, but he didn't answer!" He himself secretly wanted to know the answer... A lot.

Shrugging, his eyes belying the innocent gesture, he then gleefully grinned. "Okay! Since I'm such an awesomely kind gentleman, I'll give you another question. This one's real easy to answer. Who'd you rather make out and have sex with, me or Ludwig?"

He felt his temper flare in response to the name. Easily he muttered, "Not Ludwig."

The German sighed, unsatisfied. "You gotta give _reasons_. And don't just say 'It's 'cause I'm jealous of the stud! I wish I were hunky like a Beilschmidt! Blah blah blah!'"

Reluctantly, he glanced towards his boyfriend, who was watching curiously. He piped up, "I thought you thought Ludwig was hot."

Gilbert grit his teeth. "That's not how the game works, glasses! You gotta tell the truth! And you're not allowed to let jealousy get in the way of your answer, too."

He felt his anger rise like the ocean tide during the night. "Y-You're both... I... F-Fine, I'll say some stuff!" He let out a huff, some of the tension leaving his shoulders and neck. "Ludwig's... hot, okay? He's got a really broad back and shoulders... I-I see him without his shirt sometimes, and..." _I wanna jump him and ride him 'til I pass out._ Instantly he felt disgust at himself. _He's practically your competition! Maybe he __**is**__ a 12/10, but that doesn't mean you... fraternize with the enemy! _He shook his head, more so to himself.

Gilbert's sly voice slid into his ears. "And...? You have to finish what you were thinking. And what were you going to say about me?"

Tentatively Roderich asked, "Y-You won't tell anyone, right?" He turned to Antonio. "You won't... get mad... if I say some stuff?"

Gilbert mock-saluted. "I'm a man of my word. Now hurry up, or else we'll all shrivel up and die!"

Antonio merely looked curious. "I wanna hear what your thoughts are!" He seemed like a perverted, happy bunny eager for a carrot and some sex.

"'Kay..." He forced himself to just say it. "...His body makes me want to jump him and do stuff with it, okay? Er, and... Gilbert, I guess I like your face and hair better. They're more unique and striking... ...And maybe sometimes your bad boy attitude is kind of hot, too, okay? There, I said it! Now it's my turn. Antonio, truth or dare?" He wasn't sure what he would dare his boyfriend to do, but he knew what he would want to ask. He pointedly tried to ignore the large, cocky grin growing on the German's face.

"Um... Truth!" He seemed in a very good mood, his attitude eager. The soccer player was happy that his boyfriend had decided to play fairly and honestly.

"H-How many times have you... hooked up with...?" The Austrian was dying to know, but dreaded the answer.

Likewise, the Spaniard seemed to be struggling with an answer. "U-Um... ...Probably... ...Less than fifty times..."

Roderich felt his jealousy skyrocket to new levels. He wanted to wring the poor blond boy's neck until it was thinner than a spaghetti noodle. He tried to force himself to calm down unsuccessfully. Antonio sheepishly whined while explaining, "H-He was horny a lot..."

There was a small pause. Gilbert seemed to be enjoying the drama as he lied onto his stomach, his head resting on his hands. Hastily, Antonio began, "Gil, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Gilbert instantly shot out.

Grinning, his eyes twinkling darkly, Antonio sadistically declared, "I dare you to suck a lollipop in our Math class like it's a you-know-what!"

Roderich's eyebrows raised into his hair, clearly impressed with the sheer level of cruelty. They all knew that besides the fact that their Math teacher was strict, he was _also _Mr. Beilschmidt, Gilbert's father. Gilbert just snorted. "That's all you've got? Just watch me, Monday morning." He didn't even seem phased. He shot back to Roderich, "Roddy, truth or dare?"

_Not dare, not dare, not dare... _"Dare," he blurted out without thinking, and began to claw himself from the inside-out, mortified. He couldn't imagine the cruelty potential in Gilbert. He met the teen's red eyes, which had widened in surprise, before they scowled darkly.

"You're lucky, Roddy... Any other time and you'd be _begging _for me to spare you. You'd rather slobber all over my piss than do what I'd dare you to." He dug into his pocket, and pulled out his cell phone with a dramatic flourish. "Kiss your boyfriend. Now! I want 90 seconds, tongue and everything." Confused, but only slightly reluctant, the Austrian leaned into his boyfriend and pressed his lips onto the other teen's. Antonio eagerly deepened the kiss, grabbing the back of his head forcefully and thrusting his tongue inside his mouth. Roderich let out a little pant, and slid his tongue against his boyfriend's, wrapping his arms around Antonio's neck. It was over before they knew it, as Gilbert forcibly pried them apart with a strand of saliva and a wet kissing sound.

"Ew... Anyways, your turn." Gilbert pocketed his phone carefully.

"Why'd you have us make out?" Roderich felt himself speak up.

With a cheeky grin, Gilbert shook his head gleefully. "Sorry, you're gonna have to ask me that in the game!" He let out in an annoying sing-song voice.

"F-Fine! Truth or dare, Gilbert?" Roderich couldn't think of any reason why Gilbert, of all people, would presumably video tape him and Antonio making out.

With an easy smile, Gilbert tilted his head. "Truth, since I'm such a sweetheart."

"What'd you do with your phone, and why?" Roderich couldn't help himself. He _had _to know.

Gilbert slid back down onto his stomach and shrugged. "I promised Eliza I'd get her some photos of you two kissing 'cause I'm such an awesome boyfriend. I even took a short video, 'cause I'm just that thoughtful and sweet!" He finished with an angel child's smile, but the effect was ruined by his mischievous eyes. "My turn! Antonio, truth or dare? ...Oh crap!"

Antonio felt... daring, so he decided, "Dare! And... what happened?"

Gilbert rubbed his eyes in obvious annoyance. "Ugh... I dare you to give feed me and give me dirty talk when I suck the lollipop. I totally forgot Eliza's camera in my locker! I was supposed to use it for the photos!"

Inwardly, Roderich was glad. It could have been a lot worse if Gilbert _had _remembered to use his sister's high tech camera with its high quality resolution.

At that moment, Antonio's mom had knocked on the door. Antonio scrambled to open it for her, and was greeted with the welcome sight of a large pizza box and some paper plates and napkins. Happily he thanked his mom and then asked, "Roddy, truth or dare?" Antonio's mom had just shook her head, muttering, "That game again? You boys try not to get into trouble..." She closed the door with a small smile.

Gilbert greedily grabbed the pizza box and began to eat from it. He threw the plates like a frisbee, hitting both of them on the head. Roderich scowled, and readjusted his glasses. "...You know, sometimes big boys wait to take turns." He turned to his boyfriend after the German had stuck out a cheese-covered tongue at him childishly. "I'll choose... Uh..."

Antonio eagerly began to insist, "Choose dare! Choose dare!" His lively green eyes shone with unbridled hope.

_How can I say no to that?_ The pianist acquiesced, not expecting anything _truly _mortifying. "Okay... Dare."

Antonio beamed cheekily. "Kiss me!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "I swear, your heart's softer than myself down there right now."

The Austrian crawled his way over to his happy boyfriend, and was about to follow through with the dare, when Gilbert put an oily hand between them. "Now that I think about it, this isn't fair. _I_ already wasted my dare to get him to kiss you, so why are _you _doing that too? Are we gonna play this whole game with a heaping side of spit-swapping for the whole night?"

Antonio sighed. _Maybe he's right... _"Uh, you don't mind if I come up with another dare, d'you, Roddy?" Receiving a halfhearted shrug in response, he straightened up and tried to think. Beside him, Roderich had sat back onto the floor with a small pout. Feeling instantly bad, Antonio leaned over and pecked him on the lips chastely. A ghost of a smile settled onto the Austrian's lips as Antonio then went over to Gilbert, grabbed the plates on the floor, and began to serve himself and Roderich. He handed the plate to his boyfriend, who accepted with a small 'Thanks', and sat onto his chair.

As he took a bite of the staple teenager food, his mind wandered. _What can I ask Roddy to do... _As if sensing his thoughts, Gilbert piped up, "Dare him to give you a slutty lap dance while you feed me the lollipop." His mind brightened not-so-innocently at the idea, but he felt it shoot itself down when he caught his boyfriend blanch.

The soccer player coughed, "Er, maybe another time. How about..." He tried to think back to the countless dares he, Francis, and Gil had come up with in the past. He decided to settle on a more tame one. "You have to change your ring tone to that Womanizer song and let it ring in our Math class while the teacher's talking."

Roderich felt himself burn. _I'd almost rather do the lap dance... _He felt his mouth move to say so.

At that, a lazy, entertained grin began to shape itself on Gilbert's face. "Well, well, well. The inner slut comes out. They always do, sooner or later." He nodded sagely. Turning to Antonio, he began to say eagerly, "'Kay, here's the thing, Antonio. You heard him yourself. I didn't even do anything! Let's use that house rule we've used before sometimes." He moved his head back to face Roderich, and explained, "The person who's being dared is allowed to choose which of the two dares to do, if there are two, which there are. But — And this is a constant rule we've always had — the person who's daring isn't allowed to give more than two dares. So..." He kicked his feet up onto Antonio's messy desk from up on the bed. "Which do you think is the lesser of two evils?"

Roderich let out a groan. He'd be sealing his fate himself, but he supposed it'd be better than having no choice at all. _Which one would make me die less from embarrassment?_ He ignored the fact that the thought didn't technically make sense. After a bit of pondering about other's reactions, as well as his own self-image as a student, he sighed. _I'm probably crazy for doing this, but I-I'd rather get into trouble with Antonio and Gilbert than with no one at all. _He averted his eyes from the eager-to-hear pair eying him curiously. "I'll... do the lap dance..."

Gilbert let out a loud 'Whoop!' and slapped Roderich on the back heartily. "You gots my respect, bro! That took balls. I was only half-serious about that dare anyways!" He took another slice of pizza and chewed thoughtfully. "...Or... ...Maybe you really _are _a freak underneath those collared shirts." He shrugged as if he didn't care which of the two were true. Secretly, Roderich felt as if it were the latter of the two. He kind of _did_ want an excuse to grind up on his boyfriend.

And inside, he was kind of having fun, and even looking forward to their Monday's Math class. It sounded like it'd be hilarious to watch, as well as even partake in.

* * *

><p>After a very long and loud game of Truth or Dare, the three boys found themselves about to retire for the night, and not entirely sure of where to sleep. Antonio had insisted, "You guys take the bed, and I'll take the floor. There's enough room for two." Roderich had refused, delicately placing his glasses onto Antonio's desk, and that was how the whole slight argument began.<p>

"It's fine, Anton'. I shall sleep on the floor. You and Gilbert can take the bed." He began to lie down upon the blankets and covers that Antonio's mom had brought in just a few minutes previous.

Gilbert narrowed his eyes, his jaw grating. "...I get it. You think you're too good for the bed!"

Bemused, Roderich shrugged. "That doesn't even make logical sense. I'm just trying to be—"

"No, no! Cut the crap, you obviously think you're better than us commoners or some shit!" Gilbert was beginning to work himself up, looking comical in his loose shorts and tee as he paced the room.

Antonio ran a hand through his wet hair. "G-Gil, just calm down. We can all work something out..." He turned to his boyfriend sternly. "You're _not _sleeping on the floor, and that's final. You two are guests, so it's only right you two get the better sleeping spot."

Roderich felt his eyes twitch at the imperious tone. "W-Who do you think you are, my mom!?"

"Ooh, lover's spat." Gilbert stopped his pacing, and began to watch the two of them as if they were a TV show.

Antonio tried to keep his temper under control. "'Kay, guys, just listen, okay? No matter what happens, Roddy, you're _not _sleeping on the floor!" The pianist just raised an unimpressed eyebrow and began to lie upon the floor's sheets as if to say, "What are you going to do about it?" The soccer player felt his temple throb, and he grabbed his boyfriend by his waist, dumping him onto the bed.

"H-Hey, don't manhandle me!" Roderich tried to kick and hit Antonio as he was lifted, but was dropped unceremoniously quickly. Stubbornly, Antonio then settled onto the floor with a huff.

"Gil, go on the bed." His firm tone left no room for argument, but the German refused to listen.

"No. I ain't sleepin' with a pissy Roddy." He dropped to the floor too, crossing his arms like a spoiled child who hadn't gotten what he'd wanted for his birthday.

Antonio felt his anger's shackles unchain. "Go on the bed, or else!"

Gilbert let out a condescending snort, challenging the Spanish teen, "Or what, you'll manhandle me like Cinderella over there?"

Antonio felt his eyes tighten. "Maybe I will!"

Roderich sneered in disgust from above. "This is childish nonsense. Gilbert, go sleep on the bed. If Antonio really wants to sleep on the floor, then fine." He made to slip off the bed, only to be pushed onto his back by Antonio.

"You stay there! Me and Gil will decide something between us."

The Austrian felt himself bite his tongue in anger, but decided to stay out of it... for now.

"I'm not sleeping with a pissy Roddy! You go join princess over there on the bed!" The pianist felt something inside him snap. He jumped off the bed and obstinately glared at a scowling Antonio and scoffing Gilbert.

"Great, now we're back at the beginning!" Antonio couldn't hide the frustration evident in his tone.

Gilbert rubbed his eyes wearily. "This is like a bad logic puzzle..."

Roderich shook his head. "If we look at it that way, there's no way for all three of us to get what we want. You don't wanna sleep with me, Antonio wants us on the bed, and I want you two on the bed. If the bed has two people, there're only three possible scenarios. In each, at least one person will be unsatisfied."

"Well..." The pianist could almost see the gears turning in the albino's head. "...What if there's only one person on the bed?"

Roderich felt at least a bit relieved that they all were finally discussing this calmly. "No. That's not an option. It'd be foolish if only one person slept on the bed"

"...So in other words, we _still _haven't accomplished anything, yeah?" Gilbert fixed his gaze on the other teen.

"Er, yeah..."

Gilbert threw his hands up into the air as if he had just crashed his car and was now observing a lump of steel and rubber. "This is stupid! You two take the bed, you're boyfriends. I just tagged along today, I wasn't even supposed to come. There, problem solved!"

Reluctantly, Antonio placed himself onto the bed. Gilbert _did _have a point. He was surprised when he noticed the lack of movement from the Austrian.

"Great, we're halfway there. Gilbert, get on the bed." Roderich began to settle himself into the sheets for what felt like the tenth time that night.

"Tch, why?! Antonio gets it, so go up and join him! Why do you want me on the bed anyways?! You practically hate me!" Gilbert looked like a kindergarten teacher who had finally snapped after years of bawling five-year-olds.

Roderich was shocked at the revelation. Was that how Gilbert thought he perceived him? "I don't hate you!"

Red eyes, revealing rare, morose emotion, widened at the boy's words. "Then why do you always..." _Glare at me? Ignore me? Avoid me?_

The pianist struggled to get the words out of his mouth, but he felt that it was important that Gilbert hear it straight from himself. "...You annoy me, yeah, but I've never hated you... Sometimes I even think you're funny and thoughtful, especially when I heard that you..." His gaze flickered to Antonio, who was quietly watching, his face sober. "I... You're not a bad guy, Gilbert... In fact, you're kind of... cool."

Gilbert slapped himself in the face as if everything he heard were just a dream. "Y-You really mean that...?"

"Yeah, I —"

Antonio let out a little snort, and tried to cover up the sound with a fake fit of coughs. The two teens on the floor glanced towards the Spaniard, who tried to hide an amused grin.

"S-Sorry, it's just... This is like a scene in a bad romance novel, before the guys go and have se —"

"Eh..." Gilbert cut him off warily. He didn't _want_ to know how Antonio could say something like that. He turned back to the Austrian. "...I guess you're not half-bad. We can just chill on the floor together."

Roderich was intrigued. "I thought you didn't want to sleep with me."

Gilbert averted his crimson eyes, scratching the back of his neck. "Er, times change, leaves fall to die, and all that jazz. Now c'mon, let's sleep."

The Austrian shrugged, and fluffed up his pillow. _Fine with me._

They both heard shuffling from above on the bed. "H-Hey, I-I wanna join you guys!"

Gilbert let out a small, annoyed breath. "Shut up and stay there."

The pianist grabbed the pillow by his side and threw it between himself and Gilbert, crowding the space on the floor between them. Now there _really_ wasn't much room for a third person. "There's no room here. Go to sleep, Anton'."

Antonio let out an indignant whine. "That's not fair, you guys are teaming up on me! And besides, you guys make the floor look so inviting and comfy..."

There was the sound of multiple pillows being thrown shortly after each other onto the space between the two prone teens, before Antonio leapt onto them happily.

"Ow! Watch it, you idiot!" The Austrian snapped, his legs feeling like they would crush from the impact. He felt a sting of pain briefly, followed by an embarrassed 'Sorry!' He heard Antonio fumble around in the sheets beside him, before the only sound in the room was the trio's quiet breathing.

After a minute had passed, in which he was sure the other two were wide awake, Roderich felt himself speak up, likely for what they all were thinking. "...Maybe we should all just sleep on the bed..."

Wordlessly, the other two agreed, and so the three of them clambered onto the bed. The pianist cuddled against his boyfriend's chest, flinching slightly when he felt a foreign arm wrap around his neck. Warm breath explained embarrassedly, "Th-There's no room for my arm to sleep comfortably!"

"Yeah, whatever..." He felt his eyes drift shut. It had been a long, eventful, embarrassing as hell, but... He'd had tons of fun laughing and letting himself hang loose for once. It was tiring, though.

He felt Gilbert's breath begin to even out and deepen against his neck. Against him, the arm curled around innocently. As if in response, Antonio's arms tightened, somewhat protectively. Sighing, Roderich laid himself onto a pillow beside his boyfriend's head, and soon began to sleep peacefully.


	10. Ch 10

The day had arrived. Roderich hadn't spoken or seen Gilbert after the sleepover, and so was curious to see how the red-eyed boy was doing. He began to recall the unlucky set of events...

After they had all woken up, the Austrian had been mortified, but also a bit turned on, to find his hand lying inconveniently under the German's hard and substantial junk. Apparently, as the night had progressed, the albino had shifted over onto the pianist's hand, and after he had done so, Antonio's hand had found itself on top of the poor straight boy's rear. It seemed that they had all moved as they had slept, resulting in their odd positions the morning after.

The Austrian had been the first to wake up, unfortunately for him. He had tried to calm his heart, which had begun to pump in overdrive, and steady his nerves. _A-All I have to do is move my hand without waking him up...! _At that moment, Antonio had begun to stir, and happily press his body into his boyfriend's. "You have a nice butt, Roddy..."

At those words, Gilbert's eyes opened slowly before they widened instantly. His face turned a shade darker than his eyes as he fumed in confusion. "W-What the _hell_...?!" The Spaniard let out a small 'Oh...', his mouth open round, and removed his hand from the offended teen. "A-And you...!" Gilbert shuffled onto his knees, finally allowing the embarrassed Roderich to tug out his hand. His boyfriend looked at him oddly as he spluttered, "I-It was there when I woke up!"

Antonio shrugged, uncaring. Personally, he'd be more than happy if two guys had been touching him as he woke up, but he kept that thought to himself. Gilbert, though, had covered his face with both his hands in stupefied mortification. A few moments of self-pity later, he sprung up and changed into outdoor clothes quickly, before he grabbed his stuff hastily. "S-Sorry about my hand touching your... stuff..." Roderich forced himself to apologize.

The German sent him a withering look. "W-We're not talking about this — This..." His hands flew about emphatically, "'Incident', you hear me? I-I'll see you guys on Monday!" He practically leapt out of the room and down the stairs, before the front door of the house opened and shut in a fluid motion. They spotted the albino pull on his hood through the open window as he tore across the street. He caught their eye and sneered before he turned around a corner.

He was broken out of his reminiscing by a hand smacking his back. "Yo. Ready for your slutty debut?"

Gilbert hopped into the chair in front of him and dug into his pockets before he revealed several lollipops bunched in one of his hands. He tore one of the plastic wrappers off and began to suck on one of the treats. He handed one to the other teen, who accepted it unsurely. "It's to pump us up before show time," he explained.

The pianist felt himself cringe at the thought, but he forced it from his mind. "Thanks... And... S-Sorry about... You know..."

The German flinched slightly, but then relaxed easily. He took out his lollipop from his mouth so that he could talk properly. "'S okay... It was an accident, right? Sorry 'bout running out on you guys, it's just... The way I explained it to Antonio was this. Imagine you were sleeping over with two girls, and you woke up with morning wood, and they both had their hands on ya. See where I'm coming from?" The pianist nodded. He could imagine what Gilbert had been feeling at the moment. "Anyways... Let's just... not talk about it for a while, 'kay?" He popped the sweet back into his mouth and patted the other teen on the arm.

Roderich nodded and slid the wrapper off of the lollipop slowly. He never really ate sweets... But he supposed the sugar could only help him. He shrugged and placed the candy into his mouth fully, savouring the sweet taste. He noticed Arthur slink in beside Elizaveta and Antonio, who both eagerly approached their seated boyfriends.

"Gil!" The Hungarian kissed him sweetly. She had clearly missed him over the weekend.

"Hey, Eliza! You're in a good mood today..." He reached into his jacket pocket smugly and pulled out his phone. "Look what I have..." He let out in a sing-song voice, and pulled out his cell phone. The beaming German began to search through his phone before he dramatically revealed several pictures and a video of Antonio and Roderich making out.

"Er, what is this...?" Elizaveta flipped through the photos and then played the video. She couldn't hide the disappointment evident in her words. "...Oh."

Gilbert reminded Roderich of a child trying to impress his parents. "W-Well? I-I did what you asked, and I even got a video, too!"

Bemused, the Hungarian tossed the cell phone back towards her boyfriend. "I wasn't expecting cell phone quality levels..."

Antonio looked between the two. "Er, aren't you even going to see if you can use them for your yearbook, or yuri book, or whatever? You kind of just glanced at them..."

She just shrugged. "Nope. It's on a cell phone, the video was shaky, the lighting was off... Did I mention it was taken by a cell phone?" She began to leaf through her bag before she slammed her math textbook onto the desk.

Indignantly, Gilbert began to search the photos, before he settled upon one and shoved it into his girlfriend's face. "Th-This one's alright! The lighting's less intense, it's not shaky, and it looks romantic and stuff!"

She stubbornly turned her head away. "Look, I appreciate that you tried, but you should've really used my camera instead. I don't understand why you didn't —"

Gilbert cut her off angrily. "I was going to, okay, but I forgot last minute! Maybe if you actually did appreciate my efforts, you'd at least look at them more closely!"

She crossed her arms across her breasts with a huff. "Maybe if you had tried harder, you'd have remembered to use my camera!"

"Oi, I'm trying to rest for a bit, here! What's the big deal, anyways?" Arthur scowled as he rubbed his eyes and walked towards them.

_Ugh... The last thing we need is a grouchy Arthur... _Roderich sighed, and began to explain. "Eliza wanted a picture of me and Antonio, so Gilbert went and took some, but now she's not looking at them 'cause they were taken with a cell phone."

"Let me see them, I'll tell you if it's actually rubbish or not," the British teen muttered. He began to examine each of the photos before he stopped to show two of the pictures to everyone except Elizaveta, who had turned the other way defiantly. "Here... This one's quite decent, and this one's really nice."

"Yeah, that's the one I was talking about, Eliza! Here, just look at it quickly!" The German tried to force her to look unsuccessfully, before he threw his arms up into the air, aggravated. "Fine! Whatever! See if I care!" He slammed his phone onto his desk and rubbed his eyes angrily, trying to ignore the tears of frustration building.

Roderich felt his heart go out to the albino. He had been genuinely trying to earn his girlfriend's approval, but it seemed that she was oblivious to that fact. "Eliza... Don't be like this. Just take a look and see, it really is quite nice..."

Antonio piped up softly, "He wasted a dare, and everything, just to take the photos..."

She looked at him quizzically, as if wondering when he had become so juvenilely mature, or maturely juvenile. She wasn't sure which. She sighed and took her boyfriend by his head with her hands. She looked into his hurt eyes and whispered, "Sorry... I shouldn't have been so insensitive..." He tried to shrug nonchalantly, but his shoulders weighed heavily still.

She gently took the phone and looked at the photo, showing a side-view of the couple kissing and embracing warmly. Their hair shone so that it appeared tinged with gold as their skin, slightly flushed, seemed to radiate life into the rest of the picture. It actually wasn't that bad... In fact, it was kind of... sweet. Romantic. She definitely could use it for her blog. And after all, Gilbert _did _do what she couldn't, and he had done so of his own accord. She felt guilt begin to swirl into her conscience. She forced herself to suck up her pride. "Sorry, Gil... You were right. The picture's really good, and I can use it... ...I'm happy you tried so hard just to try and make me happy, and I'm sorry I messed it up by acting like an ungrateful asshole."

"R-Really?" Gilbert's sullen red eyes began to lighten up, and shine with hope that his girlfriend was telling the truth.

She leaned in towards him, and kissed his head softly. "Yeah... I can't believe you wasted a dare for me..."

He began to smile, easily forgiving his girlfriend. "Well, yeah, I'd do anything for you... ...Even though you're just a ball-sucking bitch."

Arthur's eyes widened as, instead of retaliating heatedly, Elizaveta smiled warmly, and affectionately began, "Thanks, Gil... But you're just a cum-drinking cow."

He vacated to his seat, still watching the lovingly bickering couple in disbelief.

"You're just a dildo-riding, dong-sucking dummy..." He took out a spare sheet of paper from his bag and began to tally what they said, as if it were some sort of twisted game. Knowing the two, it probably was.

"Haha, that was good... You Ecstasy-popping emo." She settled into her seat comfortably and pocketed his cell phone as Gilbert added two tally strikes to the page in response.

He shot back easily, "Fat whore."

"Gay Gilbert."

He shrugged, rolling his nearly-finished lollipop around in his mouth, "That was kinda lame. I'll give you half a tally. Hungarian Ho."

"Whatever, you insecure slut. I'm gonna win anyways." She smirked, seemingly unperturbed at the prospect of losing out on points.

The albino scratched his head in thought for a moment, before he grinned. "Jiggle-legs jerk-offer."

Roderich snorted in response, and walked out of the room, dragging his boyfriend with him determinedly.

"...Er... K-Kryptonite to turning me on." His red eyes widened in cruelty as he began to grin sadistically at her faltering.

"Limp dick. ...Er, yeah..." He coughed embarrassedly as Elizaveta raised an eyebrow.

"M... M-Masturbating mofo." She felt herself lose some of her victorious heat as she struggled to come up with an insult. Arthur forced himself out of his seat and headed out of the room as well, grumbling under his breath.

The odd couple didn't even seem to notice or care that they were now alone in the early-morning-lit classroom."Noodle dick. Um, yeah."

Elizaveta snickered in response. "You're running out of ideas! You practically said the same thing twice in a row! Anyways, er... O... Orgasm-unable-to-person...!"

"Th-That doesn't even make sense! Peeping Tom prostitute pervert!" The German flipped his pencil over and began to erase some of his girlfriend's points.

"Hey! What're you doing, you... Q-Queasy... Bitch! Queasy bitch!"

He ignored her protest but retorted, "Racy redneck!"

"Ugh, you're such a s-stupid streetwalker slut!"

"T-Titty fucker!"

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe that's what you wished you got to do! Underwear sniffer!"

He visibly reddened a shade deeper than his eyes. "V... Vi-Virgin... Yeah! You virgin!"

"Whore-y... Whore! Whore-y whore!" She smirked evilly, assured of her victory. At that moment, the Austrian, Spaniard, and Brit walked into the room just as the warning bell for the start of class rang.

"Uh... X-Xylophone fucker!" Taking his seat, Arthur sighed wearily. "At least they're almost done..."

"Y-Yellow-coloured cum-person!" Antonio looked offended, but he didn't say anything. Roderich snorted, and prodded his boyfriend as they made their way to sit beside the somewhat-arguing couple. As he passed the trash, the Austrian tossed his now-bare lollipop stick inside.

"What?" He asked in a quiet whisper. The soccer player burned red, and leaned in to whisper back.

_"M-My stuff was kinda yellow one time..."_ He leaned back into his seat, agitated. "I-Is that bad? Do I have an STI but I just don't know it?"

"Z... Z-Zebra... Zygote! Er, yeah! Nobody wants to be a zebra zygote, so it's _technically_ an insult!" Gilbert let out a pant, triumphant, as he brandished a one-sided sheet full of tallies but Elizaveta had ignored him, and instead turned to the other couple at the Spanish teen's words, her eyes narrowed.

Hastily, Roderich tried to fix the growing awkward and embarrassing situation. He waved his hand around. "I-It's nothing, Eliza, just... g-guy stuff. You wouldn't understand..." He turned back to a fidgeting Antonio. "Er, it's not... like that anymore, right? I mean, that last time, uh — N-Never mind. It's fine... I, er —" He was aware of the other three in the room staring at him, so he forced himself to remain ambiguous. He tuned them out and turned back to his boyfriend. "I kind of had the same problem a few times back... I-I think it's just part of growing up, but I, er... r-read about it, and it's very likely that it's nothing."

Arthur piped up, "Er, I dunno what you guys are talking about, but if it's about dysfunction down there..." His face blushed and he began to scowl at the attention. "S-Sometimes it could be stress-related... I find that a nice cup o' tea can —" He cut himself off immediately, and turned his flaming face with a huff. "I-I just pay attention during our health classes, okay?! That's all! Now bug off!"

They were distracted by the appearance of a young Chinese man walking into their classroom, led by a suave Francis. While Francis merely glanced at them all curiously, he shrugged, and sauntered his way over to the seat beside Arthur. The Chinese man, apparently their substitute for the day, just shook his head as he placed his papers and panda messenger bag onto the teacher's desk. "Aiya, all you teenagers talk and think about is sex! Thank you for your help, though, Francis!"

Gilbert's eyes widened at the sight of the teacher, but he tried to force himself to remain calm. "It's _him_! The other guy you called out to at the movies...!" He leaned in and whispered into his girlfriend's ear.

Her body instantly seemed much more guarded and tense as she hissed back, "Maybe he won't remember us! Geez, what's up with all this substitute-from-hell crap?! And didn't you know your Dad was sick today?!"

Gilbert snapped back, "Maybe you shouldn't have pointed him out back at the theatre then! And how the hell would I know, he leaves the house before me and Lud all the time, so why would I check?!" She bit her tongue but didn't respond as other students began to pile into the class. The albino's smile grew as he began to ponder the benefits of having a substitute. _Now Dad won't chew me out...!_

He turned towards the soccer player and pianist, and grinned. "This is actually perfect. Now we can fool around and he can't really do anything!" He pulled out his finished treat from his mouth, and threw it into the trash can like it were a basketball. He missed, but shrugged, and turned towards Antonio, pulling out another of the sweets, and tossing it to the Spanish boy, who caught it by pure reflex. "It's game time!"

Roderich felt himself automatically grab the white, wet stick lying misplaced upon the floor, and gingerly place it into the trash.

"Thanks, Roddy. Let's just pretend it went in the garbage when I threw it. You ready to dance? ..._Lap _dance, that is." Beside the albino, Antonio had determinedly ripped off the plastic wrap from the lollipop, his expression serious as if it were a real operation.

"What the hell...?" Arthur slipped out as he noticed the Austrian merely shrug, embarrassed. The school bell rang at that moment, signalling the start of the school day. He tried to ignore the questions building in his head as he turned to face the front.

"Alright, my name is Mr. Wang, and I'll be your teacher for today. Your teacher told me to tell you that he's sorry he can't be here today, and that he's sorry for taking so long to mark your tests from the end of November. I think he said the tests were on logarithms... Now, for today, he wanted us to go over your tests so that — Er..." The teacher noticed Antonio feeding Gilbert the lollipop, and tried to ignore them. He shook his head, his silky ponytail dancing from side to side. "Anyways, after I take attendance, that's what we'll be doing. After that, we can —"

"Yeah, you like that, big boy, don't you?" Antonio let out sultrily, and started to thrust the lollipop into Gilbert's hungry mouth, prompting Elizaveta to start giggling uncontrollably.

The albino eagerly began to lick the treat, keeping his eyes locked on his friend's. He retreated his mouth from the lollipop briefly to speak. "_Oh_, Antonio, your lollipop is so big and tasty. Won't you feed me your lollipop juice?" He began to noisily slurp the sweet, and let out a shamelessly loud moan of pleasure. As Arthur let out an amused snort from a few seats away, though he valiantly tried to cover it up with his trademark scowl moments afterwards, the German slapped Roderich into action, who had been watching the scene trying not to laugh.

The Austrian felt all eyes turn to him as he climbed on top of his boyfriend and began to grind against the other teen's body. He hid his face in the Spaniard's chest as he moved his hips and body smoothly, like a well-oiled wooden door. Antonio pulled the other boy's head towards his own as they began to kiss and rub against each other eagerly.

The soccer player's free hand began to rub on his boyfriend's back encouragingly as his other hand started to wiggle the treat in between Gilbert's mouth. "Yeah, suck my pop, Gil..." Antonio detached from his boyfriend and began to pant exaggeratedly, rolling his head back in fake pleasure. The whole class filled with snickers and chuckling whispers at the spectacle.

Roderich felt his insides sour with jealousy at the words. Even though the two of them were just fooling around and joking, he still wished Antonio would say things like that to just him instead. His envy spurred him to grab his boyfriend and start to French kiss him passionately, his body nearly thrashing in a blur. He let out a needy and accidentally loud whimper.

The substitute began to flush in embarrassment and indignation at the heavily suggestive display. "Y-You three stop right now...!"

They both turned towards the man in over-the-top surprise. Gilbert's red eyes widened innocently. "I just wanted to please my friend by sucking his pop, sir. I like it when I lick pops until the juice comes inside my mouth." He licked his lips sensually for emphasis. "_Mm_..." Arthur stopped hiding his laughter, his body shaking, as the rest of the class began to audibly laugh and jeer at the three.

Francis piped in calmly, though his eyes showed his obvious amusement, "They're just practicing for a drama play later today. ...It has a song and dance number as well, which is why, ah, they're dancing on the chair. It's French," he waved his hand as if that explained the strangeness and lasciviousness. He turned to directly face the uncertain substitute.

Clearly, the blond's words were planting seeds of doubt into the uneasy Chinese man. "Why don't you, ah, go for a cup of tea in the staff room? There's an excellent herbal tea in there, if I'm not mistaken." His tone conveyed that he was certain he was correct. "I promise I won't let anything get out of... Hand." He smiled charmingly at the visibly-torn man, before the substitute nodded and exited the room, his movements jerky.

"Aiya, weirdest class ever..." The Chinese man's ponytail wavered as he disappeared from the classroom's sight.

Roderich instantly hopped off of his boyfriend, tugging his shirt down to hide his straining pants. He tried to make his shakiness less noticeable as he tried to casually move about in his seat. Gilbert grabbed the lollipop from Antonio forcefully, done with the homoerotic charade, and began to roll it in his mouth. He sighed, annoyed. "Francis! We were just getting started! I had lines about how hot and throbbing his lollipop was, and everything!"

The French teen shrugged. "I decided to spare the three of you further unintentional embarrassment. You had a full two minutes of... fun."

Disinterested as soon as the action had stopped, the rest of the class began to talk to each other. Arthur leaned over in his chair, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "That was real funny, mates. I reckon you just made my day." He chortled and affectionately patted them on the backs, before he settled back into his seat, a small smile still lingering on his face.

"Yeah, I can't believe how into it you seemed, Roderich! You were making sound effects and everything!" Elizaveta, impressed with her brother's sudden courage, spoke up.

Gilbert glanced him over once before he shook his head bemusedly. "Tch, you probably enjoyed that way more than you thought you would. But good job, you followed through just like a man would." Roderich felt his shoulders twitch in response, while Antonio leaned in to kiss him on the cheek restrainedly.

At the sense of his boyfriend's presence, the Austrian felt a strand of prudishness snap inside him. He leaned over and whispered into his boyfriend's ear, still red-faced with his heart hammering. "_I wanna suck your lollipop later..._"

He saw Antonio's green eyes darken, but before the soccer player could respond, the previously-disturbed substitute entered the classroom calmly, his eyes and manner tranquil, with a small cup in his hand. "Ah, good. Let's start again. I'll take attendance, and then we can go over your test. If we have enough time, I have some treats that we can play games for..." He reached into his panda bag and brandished a box of Asian sweets. Now with the class's full attention, he smiled widely and started to call their names, handing out their tests, while he simultaneously checked their names off of the attendance list.

"Antonio?" The man looked around the room and spotted the meek Spanish teen's hand half-raised. He handed the nervous boy his test before he wandered off to hand out the rest of the tests.

The soccer player looked at his paper dismally, a 64 burning itself into his mind. He felt himself sigh cheerlessly as he noticed Mr. Beilschmidt's neat cursive 'Well done!' He felt himself look up beside him as he noticed a sulking Gilbert and a nonchalant Elizaveta. He could see the albino comparing his test with his girlfriend's, a 71 marked on the German's paper. "Damn it, I _just _missed getting a B!" The albino smacked his desk in frustration, no longer checking his mistakes with his girlfriend's paper. The Hungarian grabbed her test back calmly, and in the process unknowingly flashed Antonio's dejected eyes with a seemingly effortless 96 printed upon the stapled papers.

Noticing his boyfriend's depressed state, Roderich patted him on the back soothingly. "It's okay, you tried your best, and you know that..." The Austrian was distracted by his own name being called. He took the test offered by the Chinese man and felt his eyes darken slightly at the 83. He tried not to show his disappointment, but it was easily noticed by the unusually astute soccer player.

Antonio snorted, his manner derisive at what he felt was his boyfriend's unnecessary disappointment. "You probably got at least a B+..."

Roderich forced himself to keep his tongue in check. It _was _true that he had earned a B+... "...Let me see your test. It can't be that bad." He held out his hand, waiting for the Spaniard to hand it to him. Grudgingly, the other teen slapped the paper roughly into the open hand.

The Austrian tried to keep his annoyance at a minimum. He knew that it must be frustrating to try so hard to understand something, only to not do as well as one'd like. He began to flip through the pages of the test, keeping his face impassive. He reached for his green pen and began to circle the parts of the test where his boyfriend had made small mistakes or silly errors, and handed it back to the brooding teen. "Here... Look at what I circled in green, and tell me if you can see where you made any mistake."

"I don't feel like it right now, okay! Leave me alone, you already got to see how much better you are than me!" Antonio snatched his test back almost possessively and stuck the innocent set of papers onto the table face-down harshly.

"...Anton', don't be like that. You know I'm proud of you, even Mr. Beilschmidt is. Remember that last test? You did just as well in this one practically, but you just made a few careless errors in this one." He reached out to squeeze his boyfriend's arm, but Antonio jerked his arm away as if he had been burned. Roderich's eyes shone with hurt at the slight, but he tried to stay patient for Antonio's sake. "... I'm here if you need me."

Antonio felt himself twinge with guilt slightly, but it wasn't enough to penetrate through the dark cloud of self-loathing and bitter disappointment. He found himself nod shortly, but crossed his arms and turned his head away slightly.

Roderich let out a small sigh, but he forced himself to give his boyfriend space, and turned to the front to Mr. Wang, who had begun writing the solutions to the test on the board, explaining as he did so. _I guess I'll just see what I had done wrong on my test for now..._


	11. Ch 11

It had been a full day since they had gotten their Math tests back, and Antonio still hadn't spoken a word to him. Even in their shared third period that fateful day, Antonio had ignored him, and paid unusually strict attention to their English teacher. Roderich had been confused, but decided to give his boyfriend some space. He had thought, _Maybe he'll talk to me tomorrow during break or Physics. We're bound to see each other..._

The next day, during break, Roderich had been making his way to his next class to find Antonio and Alfred in deep conversation, both uncharacteristically serious. At the sight of his boyfriend, the Spaniard's grimace had grown as he practically shoved his way past the hurt and bewildered Austrian. While he had known that the soccer player had taken what he had felt was a sub-par grade quite harshly, he didn't know what he had done to upset his boyfriend. The pianist had struggled to stay calm as he tentatively approached the uneasy American. "What were you guys talking about...?"

Alfred had squirmed uncomfortably, looking everywhere but at the saddened teen. Finally, he had let out, "Antonio told me not to talk to you... But I think that you should give him some space for the time being. Maybe you can talk to him during Physics today?" Without waiting for an answer, the sandy blond had hopped out of his seat, ending cryptically, "Don't worry. I think lots of couples are going through the same thing right now. Let me know if you need someone to talk to. I'll see you in Physics!" He had then jovially patted him on the back before he ran off, leaving a disoriented Roderich and scowling Arthur behind in the classroom.

_Are they having relationship troubles too...? And with what? _The pianist couldn't make sense of what Alfred had said. He contented himself with sending a consise text message to Antonio before class started.

_I don't know what I did... But I'm sorry. I'm here for you._

After a few moments of anxious waiting, he had sighed, accepting that he probably wouldn't get an answer for now. _Maybe he's already changed for PE..._

* * *

><p>Antonio kicked the metal brace supporting the set of swings. <em>Life isn't fair<em>, he thought bitterly. Beside him, Gilbert was pacing around heatedly while Francis listened to the albino vent, gliding across the ground on a swing gracefully.

"Seriously, this sucks crap. You're lucky that you're good-looking _and _smart, Francis! You don't have the same problems that we do!" He finished his complaining with a swipe at the empty swing, which rattled innocently.

Francis sighed heavily. "Okay, maybe zat is true... I still think that you two should 'ave more faith. You two have been together for a year and a half. I would think Elizaveta would take that into consideration when she chooses which school to attend." He cut off what had been the beginning of a renewed whining rant from Antonio, raising an unwavering hand. "Antonio, I know you've only been going out with Roderich for two months... But even yet, I feel something... special between you two. Surely you do as well?"

Reluctantly, grudgingly, Antonio nodded. The blond teen continued, "Good. You're not as blind as you look." The Spaniard forced himself to ignore the obvious jab. Francis looked at him with an appraising eye before he shrugged, his mood forlorn. "Even I can't control what will happen with love... You may not be able to, either, but at the very least you can guide it as best you can." He reached out to touch the two of them briefly. "You guys _are _idiots, but you aren't dumb."

Gilbert let out a cough out at that. "Er, what?"

The French teen ignored him, and continued his address to both of them. "Go talk to them. Don't leave them unattended. Love is like a rose; it is beautiful, strong, and passionate, but even the strongest stem would snap under undue neglect." The two other teens just huffed, crossing their arms and averting their eyes. Francis sighed again, "Very well. At least promise me you will take my advice to heart."

The two nodded slowly, their statures still defensive and guarded. Hopping off of the swing, satisfied they had promised to do that much, the blond began, "Now, let's stop moping around for the time being. I didn't skip class just to hear you two complain." Thoughtfully, he stroked his chin. "We haven't pulled off any pranks in quite a while... Why don't we go and harass that new, gullible Ukrainian teacher? I hear she's teaching freshmen this period..."

* * *

><p>During lunch, Roderich found himself alone with a tense Elizaveta and cheerful Feliks. He picked at his food as halfheartedly as his sister as they both half-listened to Feliks ramble. "So anyways, we were eating sushi one day, and he said to me, 'Did you know that wasabi is an aphrodisiac?' And I was like, 'LOL what's an aphrodisiac?' And then he said — I feel like you guys aren't even listening to me!" The Polish teen smacked them both on the arm lightly.<p>

"Why would he say that?" Elizaveta let out, while her eyes followed Ludwig. She sighed dramatically. She had been hoping to somehow find out information about Gilbert through the blond German, however farfetched an idea it was, even to herself. She wasn't sure, but it seemed like Gilbert had been avoiding her.

The blond nearly shrieked in frustration, "He didn't say that! I did! I feel like I'm talking to a bunch of dead zombies that got reanimated _again _only to be shot down a second time!" At the lack of response, he sniffed disdainfully, before he mumbled loud enough for them to hear, "Toris has a big cock."

Elizaveta shrugged, unimpressed. "Cool, good for you." Roderich merely raised an eyebrow lightly to the Polish teen.

"Okay, I was lying! I don't actually know. But still, you guys are more somber than a funeral's funeral! Oh, wait, I guess people'd be happy about that, 'cause —" He shook his hand aside dismissively. "Anyways! Now I 150% know something's up. Any other time and you two would be hounding me for details while squealing. Yes, even you, Roderich!"

The Austrian let out disinterestedly, "Maybe..." Feliks snorted, and was about to continue, when they heard the bell ring for the end of lunch. Roderich sighed tiredly. "Come on, let's just head to class..." _Maybe Antonio will talk to me now..._

As the siblings trudged over, Feliks grumbled alongside them, "We're talking after school, okay, and that's final." He cut their weak protests off passionately. "No, okay! I'm your friend, both of you! How can I help you if I don't even know what exactly's bothering you two? That was rhetorical, by the way, 'cause I know I'm right." As they reached the door of the classroom, he pulled it open gingerly, as if it were a tomb instead of a learning room. "Let's just go and get this hell of a class over with," he let out less-than-enthusiastically.

Mr. Beilschmidt looked at the three of them inquisitively before he abruptly averted his eyes to look at his lesson plan for the day intensely. Elizaveta began, "I thought you're like one of the best in the class, Feliks."

He snorted and hissed under his breath, "That doesn't mean I _like _it! It's freakin' hard!"

The three of them reached the two work benches. Feliks and Elizaveta slid into the seats in front of him while he found himself alone by his own table. His eyes lit up hopefully as he noticed Antonio walk into the room beside Alfred, but instead of what he'd been expecting, the American hesitantly walked over to him.

"Um, c-can I sit here? Er, Antonio told me he doesn't want to get you sick, 'cause he's coughing up phlegm and stuff. He'd, er—" The blond boy glanced over to the Spaniard, who was ignoring the four of them stubbornly. "—He, uh, said he'd rather get Michelle sick." He tried to ignore the three's stares, failing, and subsequently blushing spectacularly.

Roderich cut to the chase. "Is that what he really thinks, or is that just what he told you to tell me? He doesn't look sick to me at all." His dark brown eyes scanned the innocent teen's body harshly.

The American's hands swept about in a panic at the loathing gaze. "Ack! D-Don't kill the messenger! I'm just doing what I was told to! A-Anyways, urm, I'll be the best temporary seat buddy ever! I got perfect on that last test, y'know!" He finished with an award-worthy, toothpaste-commercial-level grin that could possibly bring about world peace if it were broadcast.

The Austrian felt a twinge of guilt. It wasn't Alfred's fault that his boyfriend was acting this way... "...Fine, you can sit here..."

Almost too eagerly, the teen began to dump his stuff onto the table obtrusively. The darker-haired teen hastily shoved his stuff onto the side by the sink. "Great! It'll be fun passing notes in class with someone else! Michelle only answers me sometimes, she says it's annoying and disruptive..." He let out an equally amazing, Nobel-Peace-worthy laugh at his own words.

Meanwhile, Feliks began to rummage through his mess of papers, before he extracted their recent torque test. He began, "Can you help me, Alfred? I don't get what I did wrong on question 14b and I'm too scared to ask Mr. Beilschmidt for help..."

Alfred leaned over, as the bell signalling the start of class rang. "Oh, that's easy! You forgot about the friction on the hinge when you were calculating the energy lost. So instead of 120 Joules, it'd be 140..."

Just then, Mr. Beilschmidt spoke up, "Alright, everyone, I've decided that we can take a little... pre-holiday break, and watch a movie instead. I'll photocopy today's notes during the movie and give them to you near the end of class. Now, we have to take a vote between, er, 'Elf' and 'Home Alone' —"

"Oh, oh! Let's watch 'Elf'!" Roderich felt his bad mood begin to dissipate as Alfred cut off their teacher excitedly.

"If everyone's fine with that, then alright." After a pause in which he heard no objections, the German man shrugged and began to set up the movie quickly. As the lights turned off a minute later, Alfred began to ramble happily to the three of them. Roderich felt his own unhappiness begin to float away for the time being as the blond's infectious good mood washed over himself, his sister, and Feliks.

* * *

><p>As a loud ringing began to echo across the school halls and rooms, the room was abruptly filled with light. Mr. Beilschmidt called out, "We'll finish the movie next class. Before you leave, please take the notes at the side of my desk..."<p>

Almost as soon as he had heard the bell, Antonio had nearly ran after he had flung his bag over his shoulder, snatching the small booklet of notes.

"Antonio, wait...!" Roderich deflated as the other teen ignored him and dashed out of the room. He sighed in morose disbelief, running a hand through his neat hair. _He's not getting away tomorrow..._ With that thought in mind, he forced the sadness inside away, reluctantly wondering what he would tell Feliks that afternoon.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I see where you two are coming from, but... It really just boils down to what's more important, right?"<p>

They were all sitting on Elizaveta's spacious bed, eating chocolate and pizza. It was a strange but comforting mix that Feliks had recommended to them as Elizaveta began her, in Feliks's words, "Tale of hardship."

He wiped his mouth on a napkin and let it drop onto the sheets. "You see, you gotta look at things like this with a mix of logic and emotion. What I like to do is brainstorm a list of pros and cons, but with feelings included." He grabbed another pizza and took a large bite from it.

While he chewed, Roderich began, "Okay... But what about me? I don't even know if Antonio's upset at me for that, and even if he were, that'd be kind of unfair, right?"

Swallowing his pizza, Feliks began to laugh. "Oh, Roddy... This is _Antonio _we're talking about. He's like a wild, sexy Spanish bull when he gets upset, underneath all that lean muscle and gorgeous face." He ignored Roderich's slightly scandalized face at the unnecessary adjectives, and turned to Elizaveta briefly. "Go start making a pros and cons sheet, one for each school, and one for staying here." He faced back to the Austrian, and continued, "Plus, he's never had a real, serious relationship before, y'know?"

Feliks shook his head. "Never mind. Let's just... Yeah. Why don't we just forget about it for now. Me and Eliza'll help you once we finish helping her. So how's it going so far, Eliza?"

Elizaveta, who had been writing up until a moment ago, shrugged. "I don't know..." She shoved a torn sheet towards the middle of them. Written on one was the word 'Home', followed by a list of pros and cons. The two males looked at it curiously, scanning her writing.

_Pros:  
>Gilbert<br>Close to home and family  
>Pretty decent university<em>

_Cons:_  
><em>Missed opportunities maybe?<em>  
><em>Have to live at home probably<em>  
><em>Same old city, same old stuff<em>  
><em>Close to home and family<em>

Feliks handed it back to her hesitantly. "Okay, this is kinda tough... Let's see the other ones first, before we say anything." She placed the other three sheets in front of the other two. On one of them was the title 'UCLA', followed by a series of reasons to attend or not attend. The other two sheets merely had the titles 'Boston' and 'Penn.', followed by a scrawled _'Same as UCLA page basically'_.

"Er... I'm just gonna go and pretend that you didn't even write those other two. Me and Roderich'll look at the UCLA one." Feliks threw the other sheets to the side, letting them slice through the air before they floated to the ground in a sway. The two boys looked at the second sheet.

_Pros:__  
><em>_Sun and beaches_  
><em>LA<br>__Kind of has a better photography and journalism program_

_Cons:  
>No Gilbert<br>Costs more money  
>Away from home, might get homesick<em>

"...Okay, I think we can cross out some of these." Feliks grabbed the pen from her hand and began to cross out the first two points. "...There. I think there's one thing we have to get straight, though. ...Oh my gosh, LOL, that's punny!" The siblings glanced towards each other, not really amused. Pouting slightly, the Polish teen sighed, "Whatever. You guys wouldn't know what funny is if it hit you in the face. Anyways..." He straightened up, cross-legged. "Why do you want to move away, Eliza? It's not as cracked up as it seems, especially for someone like you. You don't really party or sneak out clubbin'..."

She suddenly looked as if she were tired enough to sleep for a day. "I don't know, okay... Doesn't everyone want to get away from their parents? From their home city? Even just a little bit?"

Roderich remained silent. Everything she had said was true to what he felt as well. He just didn't know if he was willing to leave Antonio and everything he'd ever known for all of it.

Feliks groaned as he looked between the two siblings in thought. "Okay, you know what, guys, I'm going to break it down for you." He flipped the sheet over and began to write on it, on top of the pizza box. After a few moments, he brandished it and showed the two of them. On it was a lone stickman, surrounded by a bunch of words.

_Lonely. Confused and lost. Homesick. Eats Kraft Dinner every night. Sometimes buys pizza. Makes friends with other lonely and lost kids so that they can be lonely and confused and homesick together, and eat Kraft Dinner with each other, sometimes pizza._

They handed it back to him gingerly. Elizaveta began, "Um, that was kind of repetitive, and —"

"So what! You know it's _at least_ half true! Both of you! Need I remind you both that this is your undergrad degree? Do you _really _want to move away that badly?" He shuddered and forced himself to calm down. "Okay, I think you guys get the point. It's entirely up to you, but you have to realize that it's okay to go with your heart for big decisions!"

The room was silent save for the Polish teen's harsher breathing. After a minute of them not talking, Feliks sighed. "Alright. Let's not talk about this anymore, for now. You two should probably talk to your boyfriends about this, too. They're big reasons for you to stay at home, among other things."

He took another slice of pizza, ignoring their stares until he snapped, "Fine, maybe I do eat a lot of pizza! Doesn't mean you have to make me feel like the elephant in the room!" He began to chew his pizza almost angrily, until he swallowed and took a sip from his can of iced tea calmly. "Ah... Okay, that's enough serious stuff for one day."

He jumped off the bed and began to rummage through the bookshelf beside Elizaveta's bed before pulling out a large book with a gleeful smile. "Let's go look at the yearbook and gossip and play talking and guessing games!"

* * *

><p>During their Math class, Antonio had tried to switch seats with Arthur, as expected. Luckily, the British teen had decided to take Roderich's side, who had been shaking his head pleadingly, huffing, "It's not mature to just hide behind people and run away from your problems." The Spaniard had sulked, but taken his seat beside his boyfriend, seemingly about to obstinately ignore the Austrian's words.<p>

"...Hey, Antonio. Did you get my texts from yesterday and today?" Roderich already knew the answer, but felt he should ask anyways.

The soccer player's jaw moved from side to side visibly before he answered shortly, "...Yeah."

"Why didn't you respond?" He had to know, had to find out why his boyfriend had been avoiding contact with him consciously for two whole days.

Antonio remained silent, with only his eyes giving away his inner turmoil. Finally, they hardened with resolve, and he began softly, "...Listen, Roderich. This isn't the time or place. I'll... We can talk in the music room after school, okay?"

Abruptly, the Spaniard grabbed his bag and walked off briskly, running into Mr. Beilschmidt as he did so. He forced a fake smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I don't really feel well, Mr. Beilschmidt. I think I'm going to go to the nurse's office..."

The German man's eyes softened. "Alright. Don't... Don't stress yourself out too much." Only receiving a jerky nod in response, the teacher patted his student's back briefly albeit soothingly.

Roderich almost lifted himself out of his seat, but Gilbert placed a steadying hand onto his shoulder. "Don't. Just wait until after school. He's... He's not going to break up with you."

In surprise, Roderich's eyes widened at the statement. He turned to his friend, whose face was barely lit with a weak smile that didn't brighten his dark red eyes. "Are you..." _Okay? Telling the truth? Feeling alright?_

"Don't... Just don't worry about me, about Antonio... Everything'll turn out fine..." The German turned back to the front, his shoulders seemingly weighed down by a heavy burden. Though all he wanted was to find Antonio, wherever he had gone off to, he forced himself to take Gilbert's words to heart, and steadied himself for a day of movies and half-hearted learning.

* * *

><p>As the day dragged on, Roderich was almost unsurprised to note that Antonio hadn't been present at their English class, either. By the time the final bell had rung, he felt almost numb from the anxiety that had plagued him the whole day so far. <em>This is it...<em> He reached the doors of the music room, somehow knowing that Antonio was waiting inside for him. _This is where things will end, or where they'll start renewed..._ He absentmindedly noted to himself the fittingness of the location and time. It had been just like when they had truly met and gotten to know each other for the first time. _Almost two-and-a-half months ago..._

He lifted an eerily still hand and felt his fingers wrap around the door's handle. He felt his body robotically turn the lever-style door and come to a halt by the piano bench, where Antonio was sitting, staring intently at the piano. The Spaniard didn't even look up at his presence, though he did let out quietly, "Come sit beside me..." Obediently, the Austrian obliged and sat beside the other teen, placing his bag and jacket beside the piano. In response, the Spanish teen settled an arm over his neck to rest upon the raven-haired boy's shoulder.

A long silence passed between them, their breathing soft, their legs touching each other much closer than what most people would be comfortable with. Finally, Antonio lifted the covering and settled his hands onto the piano, hitting a few of the keys randomly. The notes filled the darkening room, as the sun began to set even earlier than before.

"It's almost the winter solstice," Roderich felt himself blurt out, as if there weren't this empty gap growing between them from the past few days. The soccer player ceased his random presses, laughing softly. It almost felt like things were back to normal, but Antonio's demeanour was guarded despite their physical proximity.

"I'd ask you what that is any time but right now... We have to talk about things. I just... I don't really know where to start." Antonio paused, his body shifting around slightly so that his thigh brushed against the other teen's.

The pianist spoke up softly. "This is about university, isn't it?" He felt his shoulder squeezed slightly in response.

"...Partly... But that's just the beginning." He turned slightly so that he was facing the glasses-clad teen, and removed his arm from the teen's shoulder. He began to fidget with his hands, uncertain of himself. "Roddy... You're such a sweet, smart, cute guy with such a wonderful heart. I'm not... I know you want to move away for university... I don't want you to stay just 'cause of me. I'd be holding you back. So I..." He couldn't bring himself to finish, to say what he'd had to gather a whole day's worth of wrought up courage.

Roderich spared him, asking softly in a hurt voice, "Are you breaking up with me?"

Antonio shook his head gently. "I don't know. I wanted to hear what you had to say as well..."

The Austrian didn't know what to say, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box and offered it to the other teen. "I... I got this for you, as a Christmas present... I didn't know if we would be seeing each other after today, so I decided to give it to you early. Open it..."

Antonio took the box and lifted the lid, reaching inside to grasp the silver gift. He looked at the bracelet, gleaming from the sunset's rays, in awe at the simple beauty of the accessory. Linked throughout some of the chains were small gold stars, along with a larger silver star. Roderich prompted softly, "There's something written on the silver star..."

The Spanish teen wordlessly turned the bigger star over, which was inscribed with a few neat words.

_Have faith in yourself._

Roderich felt himself begin to explain softly. "I wanted you to... to know what you mean to me. To know that whatever might happen to us, you'd still be an important person to me no matter what. You made me believe in myself..."

"Thank you, but... I think you should give this to your future husband. He'd deserve it more than me..." The Spanish teen started to hand it back, but Roderich felt himself speak up on the other teen's behalf.

"No! Did you listen to what I just said? Did you read what was written on the star?" He grabbed the bracelet forcefully and began to fasten it around Antonio's wrist. "I want _you_, not anyone else, to have this to... To have it as a reminder to stay strong, and also to remember me if you ever missed me. Like if you ever missed me and were writing a test, you'd see the bracelet and remember those nights we looked up at the stars, and maybe you'd feel a bit better..." He blushed at his own words, but forced them out anyways. "And about the husband thing, it doesn't work that way! You have to work together with someone you like until you're both strong together... 'Til you couldn't imagine living without them at all..."

Finished, he retracted his fumbling hands and placed them onto his lap. He was surprised when Antonio's hand with the bracelet drifted on top of his hands. "Thank you for the vote of confidence..." The soccer player squeezed the other boy's hands gently.

In response, the Austrian moved to hug the other boy tightly. He spoke into the teen's chest. "Don't do this, please... I don't know what'll happen in the future, what'll happen with university and all... But until then, why break up over something that hasn't happened? You're _worth _it, Anton'. I'd stay here just for you if you'd let me. Why can't you—W-Why can't you see how much you mean to me...?" He choked back a sob, and sniffled into the Spanish teen.

Antonio began to rub the other boy's back tenderly. He spoke up quietly. "I just don't want to get hurt if you decide to go away..."

"I don't want to hurt you either... But aren't you hurting now, just as much as me?"

Antonio breathed out, confessing. "Yes... Of course..."

Determinedly, Roderich wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and began passionately, "Then make it stop for both of us... We'll deal with what happens, with what I choose, when the time comes... I promise you that you'll be the first to know what I decide."

Antonio decided to go with his feelings. "I'm sorry... You're right. I've just been hurting us both these past three days, haven't I?" He let out a hollow, self-deprecating laugh. _I'm such a fool..._

Roderich pulled back from him, and grabbed his face with his hands gently. "Don't be like that to yourself... You're not dumb, even if that's what you tell yourself." His eyes connected with Antonio's. He felt mesmerized by the depths of emotion conveyed in his brilliant green eyes, shining with uncertainty mixed with hope in the sunlit room. "You're not dumb, Antonio. You're not too happy, or too carefree, either."

Antonio felt his mind spark with recognition from that sunny day before. It felt like such a long time ago... He forced himself into the present and tried to come up with a response. "...You really, truly believe that?"

"Of course... In fact..." Roderich leaned in until their lips were less than a fingertip's-breadth away from each other. He whispered, "_You're perfect," _and leaned in to press their lips onto each other tenderly. Antonio wasn't aware he was crying until Roderich pulled away and brushed the tears away with a gentle finger.

"Believe me, Anton'... You're perfect the way you are." _No matter what anyone's said to you. No matter what you say to yourself..._

In response, the Spanish teen could feel his body shaking with silent sobs, his eyes overflowing as repressed despair from his childhood wormed its way back to the forefront. Roderich pulled him into his chest, cradling him, as he weeped. "I'm here for you..." He felt his own eyes begin to prickle again as he considered what he had almost lost. He held his boyfriend tight as they both began to cry softly, holding each other for comfort.

"Thank you..."


	12. Ch 12

After an unknown amount of time had passed, the two boys disentangled from each other, their minds emotionally fatigued and their moods lightened substantially. "...Sorry I wrecked your shirt..." Antonio let out hoarsely and sheepishly. He tried to clear his throat, coughing several times.

"'S okay... I sort of messed your shirt up too." Roderich glanced down to see damp spots drying on his shirt. Gingerly, he lifted it off until he was only wearing a t-shirt above his waist. Beside him, Antonio had done the same. Now shirtless, the Spaniard dug around into his backpack until he found his PE shirt and threw it on. He felt his eyes rake over his boyfriend's chiseled body appreciatively.

His phone buzzed as he received texts from Elizaveta and Feliks at that instance.

_Are you okay? Don't do anything dumb, and come home once you guys have finished talking. Let me know if you're alright, we're worried about you._

_I'm sleeping over at your place. We didn't want to bother you, but it's pretty late now... Call us NOW or else we'll think you did something drastic, and then we're gonna like file a missing person report. I'm dead serious._

He laughed at the texts, and began to type back. _Things were rough, but we're both fine now. I'm gonna ask to sleep over at his place, though... _He sent them both the text, and began to zip up his jacket. The sun had almost set, leaving the sky lit with tentative wisps of saffron rays. He glanced towards his boyfriend, unsure of what he would say. "Um, Anton'... Is it okay if... Er..."

Antonio turned to face him, surprised. "You want to... sleep over...?" At his boyfriend's slight nod, he began to grin happily. "I'll ask my Mama! I'll beg and whine until she says yes!"

He let out a small snort as Antonio dialled his home phone. He didn't doubt his boyfriend would do so; when he wanted things to go his way, Antonio had no problems with whining annoyingly and shamelessly. He checked his phone as it buzzed again, twice.

_Glad to hear it! We'll be lonely here without you, though xp Have fun, but not too much fun! LOL just jokingggg_

_Okay. I'll ask Mom and Dad. Just tell me if Antonio and his mom say yes, too._

Beside him, Antonio was beginning to whine. "Please? Pleeease? _Por favor, te suplico, Mama! _...Really! Oh, thank you, Mama! _Te amo!_ We're coming right now!" He disconnected the call as his face began to beam. "She said yes! She always does when I start to speak Spanish!"  
><em><br>_Roderich just laughed in response, and grabbed his boyfriend by the hand as they began to leave the room. Halfway through an empty hallway that lead to the door outside, Antonio began, "I guess I have to look for something for you, too..."

"Hm?" Roderich looked up from his phone as he finished texting Elizaveta. _His mom said I can sleep over._

"Help me think of what to get you! I was supposed to buy something this weekend, but I forgot, so you've gotta help me!" They reached Antonio's car and went inside.

Feeling as though he were a hypocrite, the Austrian nonetheless shrugged as he fastened his seat belt, "I dunno. You didn't help me when I asked. I don't want anything anyways, except maybe some pizza and orange juice."

"No, no, you've gotta help me for real! I'm never good at getting gifts for people! Help me make this Christmas extra special for you!" Antonio buckled himself in and started the car before he began to drive them away from the nearly-empty parking lot. As they drove towards the Spaniard's house, Roderich relented. "...Fine... I'll try and think of things I'd like... if you get us pizza today."

While his eyes never left the road, his boyfriend's focused expression warped into a genuine smile. "No problem! I wanted pizza, too, anyways, and my Mama never says no to her little boy!"

* * *

><p>As they winded down for the night, Antonio's mom had spread some sheets onto the floor again. Once again, the two teens found themselves at an impasse. After he had flung himself onto the floor determinedly, Antonio had groaned melodramatically before he followed suit. "Now we're <em>both <em>uncomfortable!" Roderich had felt his patience snap at the chivalrous gesture.

"Why don't you take the bed, then?!" Antonio had let out heatedly and loudly. A few moments later, Antonio's mom had hesitantly knocked on the door before she opened it without waiting for a response.

"Are you boys alright?" When she spotted them both on the floor, she sighed. As she stood by the door, she began, "This again?" She turned to Roderich and explained, "This always happens whenever he has friends sleep over."  
><em><br>_Antonio started to pout. "Mama, he's not going on the bed! He says that since he's a guest, he should sleep on the floor!"

Her eyes shifted between the two of them before she started to gnaw her lip. Finally, she began, "Antonio, can I talk to you?"

"Er, you are... Oh, you mean away from Roderich?" Roderich felt like face-palming on Antonio's mom's behalf, but he refrained from doing so. Antonio couldn't have worded his query more embarrassingly.

She tried to salvage the situation only half-successfully. "Um, no... Just... outside the room."

He grumbled, "That's the same thing..." Still, though, he listened to her and brought himself outside the room. His Mama closed the door and blushed lightly as she thought of how to pose her solution. "What is it, Mama? I'm tired..." He rubbed his eyes as he yawned. _It's been a long day..._

"...If you promise me you guys won't... f-fool around..." She fumbled with her words, but felt it had to be said. "...Then... I'm okay if you both take the bed. It's ridiculous of you both to take the floor, anyways."

His eyes lit up, as he switched from fatigued to animated instantly. "R-Really...?! I promise! I'll be good! No fishy business at all!" In response, she just tousled his hair bemused before he bounded into the room excitedly and began to throw the extra pillows onto the bed. She shut the door softly as she heard her son explain excitedly, "My Mama said we can both sleep on the bed! C'mon, help me, I like it when I get extra pillows."

Inside the room, Roderich obediently listened, but once his boyfriend stopped talking, he asked, "So she's... okay with this even though we're both boyfriends?"

Antonio paused mid-motion from throwing another pillow onto the bed. He shrugged and threw it, then scratched his messy head sheepishly. "Well... She said we're not allowed to do... 'stuff'..."

His face burned as he tried to respond to his equally red boyfriend. "Sh-She said that...?" He felt so mortified at the moment, it almost felt like his hair was filling to the tips with blood as well.

Antonio tried to calm his boyfriend down. "Urm, sorta, but she didn't say that exactly... But come on, it's fine, 'cause I promised her I wouldn't do anything! We don't have to do stuff to have a good time, right?! Maybe we can make a tent under the floor's sheets and tell scary stories with flashlights and stuff! I have this really good one, but I'm kind of scared to tell it!"

As his boyfriend began to try and build a tent, he sighed. "Anton'... Aren't you tired? 'Cause I am... And we still have school tomorrow..."

The Spanish teen relented, his reluctance visibly obvious as his enthusiasm died down tenfold. "Okay... Just tell me one thing you'd like for Christmas, and then we can go to bed."

Instantly Roderich felt as guilty as someone committing perjury. He tried to shake the thought from his head. "Well, it would be nice to get a necklace from you..."

"'Kay..." His voice still sounded whiny and pouting as the two of them lied onto the bed. After a few moments, the Austrian felt his resistance towards Antonio's idea slip away.

He felt himself speak up. "Um, maybe just _one _story..."

"Really?! I knew you'd let me! You're the best sleep over buddy boyfriend ever!" Antonio jumped over to his desk and grabbed a small flashlight before he jumped onto his bed and dramatically lit it under his face. Instead of feeling scared of foreboding creepiness, Roderich just let out a snort that turned into a mini-fit of snickers. Antonio averted the light from his chin and settled it onto Roderich, spinning the spotlight in circles. "What?"

"It's just... You looked ridiculous, that's all! You couldn't scare a baby with that face!" The pianist forced himself to calm down with several deep breaths. Finally, he started again, "You just looked... cuddly and sweet, not scary at all."

Antonio huffed, "We'll see who's crying once I finish this story!" He flicked the light back under his chin and began dramatically.

"Okay, once upon a time there was a family who lived in a house. The parents went out one day, and so they hired a baby-sitter for the night. The baby-sitter arrived, and she noticed a clown doll sitting on the couch when she entered the house. She tried to pay it no mind, and put the kids to sleep. Then, she went downstairs and made herself a cheese pizza in the oven. While—"

Roderich felt himself cut his boyfriend off. "Wait a minute. Is that relevant to the story at all, or did you just make that up right now?"

Antonio's momentum faltered. "Er, I dunno, okay! That's the first thing that popped into my head. She's human, just like us, so she has her likes and dislikes! There, you see, it was so you'd start to care for her in the story! Anyways, listen! She was waiting for it to cook, so she went back to the living room to watch The Bachelorette season finale. The clown was still there—"

"Oh. Let me guess, the clown—"

"Quiet, Roddy! I'm telling a scary story here. Anyways, yeah, the clown was still there, motionless, its eyes fixed upon right in front of it. Then, the phone rang, and she went to pick it up, even as her eyes still watched the clown. She answered it, and it was the parents. They asked her, 'Is everything okay?' Then she said, 'Yeah, but you guys have a really creepy clown doll!' Then the parents started to freak out, and they were like, 'Get the kids! Get out of the house!' And then the clown jumps out and kills her while she's still on the phone! Anyways, yeah, that's it. Scary, huh?"

Antonio let out a shudder, and then meekly set the flashlight down, its light still flashing. The light suddenly burned out, just as they heard a small creak from outside the window. "Ahhh! It's the clown!" Antonio let out a frightened squeal and huddled close to Roderich, who rolled his eyes. The Austrian decided to tackle their situation logically.

"Antonio... Antonio!" He poked his boyfriend until he responded by letting out a pathetic 'Ow...' "Listen, okay. You probably hadn't changed the batteries in a long time, first of all."

"N-No! I changed them like just a week ago, and I haven't used it since!" Antonio was bravely checking his window shutters while he talked anxiously.

Roderich persisted. "Are you absolutely _sure_ you didn't mix up any of the batteries?" When he received no response, he continued, "See, that's what I'd thought. That's the first thing. The second thing is that houses creak and make sounds all the time, especially when it's windy like tonight. It was just a rare coincidence. The third thing is that your house has a security system, _and_ your mom's home with us, so even if anything _did_—"

"D-Don't jinx us! That's what people say in movies r-right before they die!" Antonio was working himself into a fit, practically yelling. A few moments later, the door opened suddenly, prompting the frightened soccer player to grab the flashlight and throw it at the silhouette against the open door.

"Antoni—Oh!" The flashlight spun through the air and missed, hitting the door handle before falling to the floor gracelessly at the impact. Unamused, Antonio's mom flicked the lights on to find her son clinging to the other boy in obvious distress. She sighed and decided to go easy on her son. "Antonio, what did I tell you about scary stories? Hm? I was going to ask if you were okay, but I'm just going to go to bed now." She flicked the lights back off and shut the door as quickly as she had come.

Beside him, Antonio had seemingly started to calm down. "Whew, I guess it's good I missed... ...But actually, no it's not! What if it _were _the clown! Then we'd—"

The pianist felt himself snap. "Antonio! Just calm down, okay! I can poke so many holes into that scary story! If the parents were there when the baby-sitter came into the house, which only makes sense, why didn't they notice that clown sitting smack in the middle of the couch? Why didn't the kids say anything, either? Why didn't the clown make a move until _after_ the parents found out about its presence? That's just _asking _to get caught, or at the very least, go in to hiding for a very long time."

He shifted his position on the bed until he was sitting up fully straight. "Furthermore, if it were after the kids as well, which I'm guessing it would be, why did it move to kill when the girl would be assured to scream into the phone? The kids likely would wake up and perhaps escape from the commotion, and the parents would call for help, as well. It's just... It's just a story, Antonio! It's not a movie or book or real-life thing!"

At the end of his rant, all the Austrian could hear in the room was his own loud breath. After a while, Antonio meekly began, "I guess you're right..." He prodded his riled-up boyfriend until they both were laying down beside each other. Roderich could feel his own breathing start to slow, but his mind was still wide awake, and he suspected Antonio was, as well. Sure enough, after only a few moments of peace, Antonio called out, "...I have this other really good scary story... Wanna hear it?"

For the life of him, he couldn't understand why he had chosen to agree.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** _I don't usually do this, but here're two things I just had to say.  
><em>  
><em>1. 14b is from a certain likely-billion-dollar franchise. Kudos to you if you remember the line! (Hint: Hermione!)<em>  
><em>2. Por favor, te suplico, te amo - Please, I'm begging you, I love you. The latter two are more theatrical compared to other alternatives, which was what I was hoping to go for with Antonio's whining.<em>


	13. Ch 13

_I can't believe this. Just my luck... _Roderich sat up stiffly against his boyfriend's side in the nearly-empty skytrain car. He unsuccessfully tried to avert his eyes from a familiar blond German he could see from outside the glass window, but he could feel his gaze drawn to the other teen's unusually sombre countenance. As the train car's door opened and the stoic male walked in with a small plastic bag, Antonio burst out from beside him, "Hey~! Luddy!"

The Austrian's eyes twitched inadvertently at the nickname, but he tried to force away the wave of jealousy that seemed to rise up his throat. _Great... Antonio just had to call him over. _At Antonio's somewhat-loud greeting and enthusiastic demeanour, Ludwig raised his cap-clad head in surprise before he noticed the two of them a small distance away. His eyes lit up slightly, but not enough to cast away the gloom apparent on his face. Roderich forced himself to rein in his manners as the blond took out his earbuds and walked over to them.

"Hi, Ludwig..." He hoped his voice didn't sound _too _petulant, but perhaps his envy towards the tall teen would always be there in some form. He wasn't sure if it'd ever change, but who knew?

Ludwig shuffled his weight briefly before he responded, "...Hey. Are you two going downtown?"

"Sit down! We haven't talked in so long!" Antonio grabbed the German by the arm and practically dragged him into the seat beside them. As Ludwig settled the plastic bag onto the seat beside him, Antonio continued, "Yeah, anyways, we're going downtown to see the fireworks at midnight! We're going to go shopping first, though, 'cause I couldn't find anything for Roddy here for Christmas, so we decided we'd look for something together today!"

Roderich felt his negativity towards the other soccer player slip away reluctantly as he noted the blond's lack of response and depressed mood. He tapped his boyfriend on the arm and murmured discreetly, "Maybe we should leave him alone... Doesn't seem like he wants to talk."

Ludwig's eyes glanced up shortly at the two before he looked down onto the ground again, his display heavy as he visibly sighed. In a rare display of tact, the Spaniard forced himself to stay quiet, at least for now. After a small amount of peace, followed by an innocent bump from the train's movement, causing the bag to tip over and reveal two six-packs of beer, Antonio started carefully, "...Ludwig, I thought you stopped drinking..."

Instead of denying the teen's implied query, the blond merely shrugged noncommittally. Antonio glanced towards his boyfriend briefly with evident concern before he turned back to the blond, who seemed to shrink inwards. "Did something happen...?"

The train stopped for a moment, and the only other resident in their car stepped out. Not even looking up, Ludwig let out dejectedly, "No..." He brought the bag closer to his side almost protectively.

Antonio couldn't hide his concern anymore. He nudged the teen's knee gently and began, "Ludwig, you're making me worried! Tell me what's up, or else I'll — I'll ditch my date with Roddy and follow you wherever you go!" Two pairs of eyes widened at Antonio's wild tone and statement, one in surprise, the other in barely concealed hurt.

As if expecting his reaction, the soccer player turned around and explained in a half-whine, "I can't leave him like this, Roddy! He might just drink it all and get sick or something!" His eyes shone with wholehearted worry, and as if it were the last piece in a puzzle, Roderich's feelings slid to the side.

_He's right. It wouldn't be good to just leave him be with 12 beers, likely for himself, if his demeanour suggests anything, without knowing what's going on._ He shifted around in his seat to view the blond better. _I shouldn't be selfish... Me and Antonio have been seeing each other so much recently. _With that thought in mind, he decided he may as well help Ludwig along with his boyfriend. He shook his head as if to brush off any residual hurt feelings. "It's okay. You're right, let's hear what he has to say."

Ludwig regarded the two of them curiously before he let out another weary sigh, his eyes dimming once more. "You... You two... Don't let me ruin your date. It's not a pleasant story anyways."

The doors slid open, and abruptly, the German grabbed his bag, the sound of the beer sloshing and clanging against each other. He snapped out of the door without a glance back, steadily retreating.

"W-Wait! Ludwig!" Antonio had half-risen out of his seat, undecided about what he would do. It was obvious Ludwig needed some company, for safety at the very least, but he couldn't just abandon his boyfriend, no matter what he had said, not even if Roderich had tried to assure him. As the doors began to close, and he began to resign himself, Roderich suddenly jolted up and hastily slid an arm past the narrowing doors.

The Austrian looked behind him to his shocked boyfriend, and compelled impatiently, "Come on! We want to make sure he's okay, don't we?"

The Spanish teen spluttered as his hands scrambled to grab their things. "O-Oh, r-right!" He threw his boyfriend's messenger bag over his shoulder and started to run out of the car while his boyfriend held the doors open. Once Antonio had exited the train, Roderich retracted his arm before they both began to jog after the blond in the distance.

After half a minute, they slowed to a halt as the distance between them and Ludwig diminished until he was just a few feet ahead. Antonio let out, "Ludwig, wait up!"

The German stopped and turned around in surprise that quickly turned to exasperation. He shook his head as they panted before him. "You two are unbelievable." As they reached him, he turned around and started moving forward again. He called over his shoulder to the confused pair, "Come on, I'm not going to wait for you two fools..."

"Wh-Where're we going?" Antonio moved until he was beside the blond, while the Austrian followed the two close behind.

Ludwig just gave him a cursory look. "Well... Why don't we just go to a coffee shop. We can talk there, if that's what you two really want..."

* * *

><p>They found themselves in a small, cozy shop just a block away from the more popular Starbucks. Antonio hummed happily as they made their way out of the chilly wind and billowing snow into the abandoned shop, save for a bored-looking Korean behind the counter, who mumbled without looking up from his handheld game, "Welcome..." In the corner by a hearty fire, Antonio eagerly leapt onto one of the couches and patted the space beside him, looking up at his boyfriend with hopeful eyes. Sighing only somewhat reluctantly, Roderich sat beside him gracefully while Ludwig blushed lightly at the scene and sat shortly across from them.<p>

Roderich decided to get directly to the point and spoke up quietly. "So... Apparently you don't drink but today you were going to. Why?" Ludwig averted his eyes and stayed silent, but the pianist persisted. "Antonio's just worried, and... Well, I am a bit, as well."

Feeling two pairs of concerned eyes, the blond's reserved shell cracked. "It's just... It's..." He let out an audible huff before he began to rummage through the plastic bag, explaining, "Agh, I'll talk, but let me have a beer. I didn't buy these for nothing." He grabbed a bottle and popped the cap off without difficulty in a fluid, practiced motion. He took a large sip before he placed the glass bottle onto the table and looked up at the couple warily. "It's alright if I have one, isn't it?"

Roderich conceded with ease and authority, "You can have one, but no more. We're not going to lug around a drunk German; I've had my fill of that for the winter break."

Ludwig's eyes lightened as he laughed lightly. "I heard about that from Gil... You don't have to worry, though. I can hold my alcohol just fine." He coloured red noticeably when Antonio began to snigger, and retorted angrily, "At least I don't get drunk after half a can!"

Antonio failed to hold back a snort, which he turned into a small fit of coughs. He ignored an irritated Ludwig, and explained to Roderich, "He made me drink with him once, and he got super drunk after 2 cans of beer. The way he'd talked always made me think he'd last longer than that..."

Roderich halfheartedly stopped them both, though his eyes clearly showed his amusement. "Alright, alright... You two settle down." He turned towards the German and prompted lightly, "So, what's caused this... reemergence of drinking?"

Ludwig fidgeted with his bottle as he said tentatively, "I know it's not the worst thing I could do... But I just feel like... a pervert..."

Again, Antonio started snickering. Seeing Ludwig's glare and serious expression, Roderich allowed himself the liberty of smacking Antonio not-too-gently. "Sorry about him. Please, continue." He ignored his boyfriend's pouting as he rubbed his shoulder with a pathetic 'Ow...'

Ludwig sighed as if he had just worked a twelve-hour shift. "I like this guy... But he's 13." He reached for his beer and took another long sip.

As he wiped his mouth, Roderich started, "Well... He's turning 14 sometime next year. When's his birthday? At the very most, he could almost be _just _three years younger than you. Your birthday's quite late in the year, isn't it?" When he received a nod, he continued, "Exactly. I suppose you just turned 17, then, essentially."

Ludwig set his glass bottle down heavily with a small frown. "Not really. My birthday's in early October. The boy's birthday's in March. I guess it isn't that bad if I think about it, but..."

Roderich immediately cut in. "You're right. Well, actually, I'm right. Three-and-a-half years isn't that much at all. In fact..." He felt himself flush heavily as his thoughts turned into words. "Even though he's not 14 yet... Legally, it's okay for a 14-year-old to... '_be' _with a 17-year-old, or even a 19-year-old, in fact." He coughed to the side. "...If you get what I mean."

Antonio regarded his boyfriend in reverence at his knowledge and yet also suspicion. "Where did you learn that?"

The Austrian just sneered in response. "If you must know, I learned it in Law class. That's besides the point, though. Does it really matter if I check out a 13-year-old? We're only 17. I don't think it does. Not all 13-year-olds are immature."

Ludwig butt in softly. "Well, as it is, I was just being down on myself. I can't help but feel drawn to the boy, almost as if we're meant to be, no matter what. But even so..." His eyes seemed downcast once more. "I already decided there's nothing I can do. In fact, I shouldn't do anything. Even if it is legal... It doesn't feel right. Not right now, at least, but maybe in a few years." He snorted at himself, and reached for his beer, chugging the rest of it down easily. He set it down, aching for another. Instead, though, he just took his blue hat off and began to toy with it with his hands. It was very unlikely that he'd be able to date his crush after a few years. It'd be miraculous if he did reciprocate interest, but the chances were...

A few moments of silence passed before Antonio let out a yelp as if he'd just been jolted with electricity. Bemused, Roderich humoured his now-anxious boyfriend. "What is it?"

Antonio practically hopped from one foot to the other, as he complained, "Stores are going to clooose in less than an hour! I was supposed to get you something by now!"

Ludwig spoke up from across them. "Well, we can —"

"Nooo, we can't! Only I get to see what I'm getting for Roddy!" Antonio was working himself into a fit.

With an overly patient sigh, Roderich prodded, "Then why don't you go find something now? There's a mall just a block away. You still have at least half an hour of shopping time, probably quite a bit more. And besides, it's no big deal if you don't get me anything, and —"

"I don't wanna hear it, Roddy!" He made to move across the room, but tripped on the leg of the couch. Rousing himself up again, he nearly yelled, "You guys stay here 'til I come back!"

He bolted across the small shop and threw the door open. The two inside looked out the window, amused, as the Spaniard slipped onto his rear on the sidewalk, only to hop up again determinedly. As he disappeared from view, Ludwig turned to face the other teen. "Thanks for... listening and not judging."

Roderich shook his head. "I'm not used to seeing you so down, and Antonio wanted to help, anyways... At any rate, I hope things'll go well for you." He stood up and made his way to the counter, calling over behind him, "Do you want something?"

Ludwig got up and walked beside him, unabashedly admitting, "Another beer, to be honest..."

Roderich rolled his eyes as he ordered a cup of hot black tea. He turned beside him and started scoldingly, "I meant what I said earlier. No more beer until you're out of our hands. Now tell me what you want, and I'm paying."

The blond didn't have the will to fight the other teen, not now, and so he turned to the expectant worker. "I'd like a coffee, no cream or sugar, please."

As the Austrian dug around in his wallet, he said, "Thanks for listening to what I said. Antonio usually puts up a fight, and Elizaveta just says I'm bossy."

They waited by the front while the Korean made their drinks. As the Korean teen hustled about, Ludwig shook his head. "I don't get why you're being so kind to me."

Roderich took a moment to respond. "...I don't know. Maybe... I just feel bad. I... I know about you and Antonio, what you guys did together." The two teens reddened, their eyes looking everywhere but at each other as the embarrassment grew thick. The awkwardness was reduced slightly as the Korean placed their drinks between them quickly before he went back to playing his game. They took the sitting drinks and went back to sit by the fire.

After a small sip, the Austrian spoke up again. "Anyways... I kind of... I was jealous. I kind of bashed you in my head at times, even though you did nothing wrong. ...So I'm sorry. I won't... I'll try not to do it again." It was the truth. He didn't know if he would be able to help it in the future, but he'd try.

Ludwig finally met his eyes calmly, albeit with a blush. "Well, I forgive you, I guess. To be honest, I feel a lot better than how I felt before, because of you. And, er, by the way... ...You seem to make Antonio really lively and happy. I'm glad. I hope he makes you feel the same way."

Roderich felt himself warm up at the sentiment. "You're... ...Thank you."

They sat there in companionable silence as they waited for Antonio to return.

* * *

><p>"I still don't get why you guys decided to crash here. It's not really fair for Gil and me, 'specially 'cause you guys declined before!" Elizaveta grumbled with a small scowl, but nevertheless opened the door fully to let the three of them inside. As she shut the door behind them all, she turned to Ludwig with a reassuring look. "Not you, Ludwig. Thanks for letting us all stay here! It beats partying at my place."<p>

"Sorry! I got so tired from running around that I just wanted to rest at a house instead, y'know? Downtown's way too cold for me right now!" Antonio kicked his shoes off before he went to pick them up from a short distance away and place them neatly by the front door.

_Hm, must be a habit. ...A really odd one. _Roderich followed his sister with the other two, as she led them to the basement while she talked.

The blond German spoke up reluctantly. "It's my fault, Elizaveta. I ran into them, and... we decided to hang out together. I'll be down in a bit, I'm just going to change." He headed up the stairs and flicked the light on in his room.

She shrugged and called out up the stairs, "It's fine, you guys." As if in response, Ludwig's bedroom door shut loudly. Unfazed, she continued, "I planned this all so perfectly, it figures something'd go wrong. Why were you running around, anyways?" She jumped down the stairs to the basement and threw herself onto the extended couch beside a visibly mellow Gilbert. His folded posture spoke volumes about his tiredness as his closed eyes opened slightly, revealing dull crimson eyes, at the impact. "Go say 'hi'!" Elizaveta slapped him on the arm lightly as the couple sat onto the side of the couch.

"Hey. Don't be too loud, and if you're gonna make out or jerk off together or whatever, do it in the bathroom or Lud's room or something. My room's off-limits." He yawned and laid his head onto Elizaveta's chest, snuggling his head.

A few feet away, Alfred was scrambling on the floor with some wet cloths, presumably picking up crumbs. His head rose to meet their gaze, and he waved to them all, his mouth full of chips as he cleaned the mess he was currently increasing. He didn't seem to notice, though, as he grabbed another fistful of chips and stuffed them into his mouth.

Elizaveta patted his silvery hair absentmindedly as she sighed. "This is way too calm for a party, but I guess it's a nice change. I thought it'd be rowdier with Alfred, though. Food and drinks're on the table behind me. _Don't _make a mess, don't spill things like Francis, and don't get crumbs anywhere like Alfred, otherwise you'll... wish you hadn't," she warned them.

She turned around to gesture behind the couch, where they saw Francis and Matthew, scrubbing the floor halfheartedly, initially hidden from view. The Hungarian elaborated, "_Francis _thought it'd a great idea to spill some orange juice right before you three came, so I made him scrub the floor. Matthew's just helping 'cause he's a sweetheart. Alfred's been cleaning up for a while now; I dunno why he's still at it."

The Canadian let out shyly, "Hi..." He wiped the pristine floor once more before he tossed his cloth to the side and grabbed some chips from the bag in his twin's reluctant-to-share hand. After he had succeeded in grabbing a few of the chips, he dropped them onto a paper plate and sat with a heavy huff at a chair by the table. "It's clean, now, Francis. It's not sticky at all anymore."

Almost warily, Francis ceased his scrubbing and asked, "Can I stop now? Or do you want to see if it's sticky for yourself?"

She laughed, "Oh, you. It's fine, I trust Matthew. Now go eat and stuff, and don't spill anything!"

She ignored him as he muttered under his breath, "C'était un accident..." The French teen grabbed the orange-tinged cloths and threw them into the trash in the corner.

At that moment, Arthur slunk into the room and spotted Antonio and Roderich. "Oh. Hey." He sat beside Alfred and took a sip from a cup on the table.

At his arrival, the Hungarian caught his eye and announced, "Ooh, good, you're here. Now we can finally start the movie!" She glanced at her phone, checking the time, before she sighed lightly. "Oh, well. At least we'll finish close to midnight. I guess that's convenient, in a way." Elizaveta then sprung out of her seat abruptly, knocking poor Gilbert aside in the process, and rambled, "Gonna get Ludwig to join us for the movie!"

The albino readjusted himself on the couch and rubbed his eyes, asking his Spanish friend, "Lud's here? I thought he was out doin' stuff."

As if starved for conversation, Antonio began, "Nope! Me and Roddy saw him, and he —"

"We asked him to join us for some coffee," Roderich cut in calmly. His boyfriend nodded maybe a bit too eagerly.

Gilbert snorted. "Riiight... I believe that."

To the couple's relief, he didn't ask any further questions, but instead said, "I'll just ask him what the deal is. You guys said you weren't coming anyways, but whatevs." He turned to Roderich and continued, "So did you finally get the necklace? Antonio's said he'd get it for you for weeks."

The Austrian teen shook his head. "He got it today, but he's not showing it to me 'til midnight."

The soccer player piped in affirmatively, "Yup! It's more romantic that way! I've got it right here..." He pulled out a small bag from his hoodie's pocket and retrieved a small box, which he brandished towards the German as if it were a ceremonial sword.

Francis paused his conversation with Matthew as he overheard the Spaniard and Austrian, and subsequently pitched in his opinion. "Ah, yes. That's a wonderful idea, Antonio. The hour of the new year is quite romantic, I say so from exp—"

"Hey, lemme take a look." Gilbert ignored the affronted teen's scandalized look and reached over to try and grab the innocuous box. Antonio let out a yelp and fell off the side of the couch as he dodged the other teen's probing hands.

"No! Only Roddy can see it!" Antonio scrambled to his feet and held the box close to his heart protectively.

Francis stood up and made his way to Antonio, whose panic was rapidly growing. "I would like to see it too... Won't you show me?" At the lack of response, Francis practically tackled the Spaniard to the ground and tried to grab the box. "Let me see it!" The French teen insistently attempted reaching for the box, even as his hands were slapped away by the stubborn Antonio on the ground.

Gilbert let out a triumphant cackle and jumped on top of the other two, who let out sounds of pain. He ignored them and swiped his hands in a frenzy, searching for the box, but to no avail. Arthur sighed alongside Matthew and admitted in a barely-audible voice, "Now _I _want to see it..."

The Canadian boy shrugged, used to the trio's wild antics. "You can see it after midnight, when Rod—"

"What's going on here?!" All of them glanced towards the stairs where they could see a fuming Ludwig and uncertain Elizaveta. The trio's scuffling ceased to a halt as the room grew quiet. Even Alfred stopped crunching his chips as he watched the scene curiously.

Elizaveta grew a mischievous grin as she chirped happily, "Hey, Ludwig, this reminds me of four minutes ago; it looks just like that vid—"

"Q-Quiet!" Somehow, the blond German flushed so that he was even more bright red. He gave a menacing glare to a sheepish Elizaveta, though the intimidation factor was mitigated by his obvious embarrassment. He struggled to gain control of the situation once more. "Y-You two, get off of —"

"_Oh_, is that what you were doing four minutes ago?" Antonio didn't even seem concerned at the other two's weight on him as he asked tactlessly. He patiently waited for a response, though the German only spluttered nonsensical beginnings of sentences.

"I-I didn't — I was just — She opened the door without knocking and —"

Mercifully, Arthur cut in, his face sympathetic, though his words somewhat lacked the sentiment. "It's okay, lots of us already thought you were like that. I mean, I know I did."

He pointedly ignored Francis, who muttered, "Says the pot to the kettle..."

Antonio sighed empathetically. "It's okay, Luddy. Even the sneakiest of us get caught. I got caught by Gilbert once, and —"

"Okay, okay! L-Let's just watch the movie, you guys!" Matthew himself seemed surprised by his outburst, the attention focused on him solely. He grumbled slightly, "It was getting too freakin' awkward..."

As he grabbed the DVD case beside him, Alfred let out, "Hey, you sound like me when you're pissed! Haha!"

Matthew fixed him with a weak glare as he halfheartedly kicked Gilbert and Francis off of Antonio until they reluctantly crawled to their feet to grab a seat. Once he reached the TV, he struggled and messed around with it, clearly unsure of what to do. "Um, I don't know how to set it up on this TV..."

Arthur left his chair to help a confused Matthew set up the movie as Elizaveta and Ludwig sat beside the albino. Antonio made his way to beside his boyfriend before he turned to Gilbert and started, "So, wait, you guys are okay now? I thought..."

Roderich frowned at Antonio and scolded, "You don't just ask things like that..."

Elizaveta shrugged, not offended. "It's fine, Roderich. We got over our rough patch, so to speak. I decided that Feliks was right; I'm going to stay here for university for now, at least." As if comforted by the reaffirmation, Gilbert hugged her tightly in response.

The moment was ruined when Alfred opened his mouth. "Wow, no way! Me and Artie were getting riled up over that, too! Not about you, Elizaveta, though. Anyways, he was wondering whether or not he should go back to Britain, and —"

"Two things, Alfred. It's _England_, first of all. Britain is the island which has England, Scotland, and Wales on it. Referring to England as Britain would be like referring to the US as North America, which is decidedly false. Secondly, I'm _right here_. I think I can talk for myself." He returned his attention back to the TV but nonetheless spoke to all of them. "Since Alfred's already brought it up, I may as well finish for him. I... decided to stay here. It's not that bad here..."

The American teen piped in like an excited fanboy from his spot on the floor. "You didn't get mad at me calling you Artie! I knew you'd warm up to the nickname!" At the lack of response, he unashamedly continued, unperturbed. "Anyways, you're so hot when you get all lecture-y about Britain... We should go back there one day!"

The Briton sighed. "I'm not going to repeat myself again today..." He moved up and sat on a portion of the extended couch.

Matthew finished setting the movie up and sat beside Francis with a small huff. Francis wrapped an arm around him and murmured, "If we live together, I'll make sure that all of the furniture and electronics will be simple and easy to use." He let out an indignant cry as Arthur smacked him. "Ow! What was that for, you angry Brit!?"

Arthur rolled his eyes at the insult. "Really, that was too sappy. Someone had to smack you out of it."

"You're so hot when you're mad, Artie..." Alfred's face took on a nearly reverent visage. Impressively, Arthur didn't seem disturbed or affected in the slightest at the admission.

The French teen snorted contemptuously. "Yes, Artie, listen to your boyfriend. By the way, your eyebrows really are... one-of-a-kind. They're simply... lushly delightful."

"Hmph!" Arthur turned his head away, unwilling to give a response to what he felt was a low blow.

Elizaveta, unaffected by the little squabble, grabbed the control and started the movie. She left her seat briefly to turn the lights off, calling to Alfred, "Hey, come watch with us. You can clean that up later... If you bring the popcorn here, I'll even help you."

The American earnestly obliged, and dumped the bowl into her hands in seconds. As she and Gilbert began to eat some, Gilbert sighed contentedly. "Ah, you're so awesome. My awesome angel..."

She leaned in closer to him in response as she took a mouthful of popcorn. "Remember that time at the movie theatres when we were fighting? That was funny... You're the best boyfriend ever..."

He smirked, and let out near her ear, "You're such a caring cutie..."

"Oi, can you guys at least whisper? I'm going to drown from all of this sappiness."

Arthur blushed as Alfred wrapped him up tightly and whispered to him, "I'll be your hero and save you when you drown..."

"Y-You can't even swim..." Even Arthur could tell how halfhearted his own voice sounded as he snuggled closer to his boyfriend with a reddening face.

Unknowingly, Ludwig let out a sigh at the displays of affection. Roderich felt his heart call out to the other teen, which was perhaps why he moved a bit closer and patted the blond lightly. Lonely blue eyes glanced towards him in surprise at the contact, but softened with a sad smile and shake of the head, as if to say, _I'm fine._

Feeling oddly persistent, Roderich tentatively rested his head on the taller teen's shoulder, who didn't tense at all at the contact. The Austrian felt his boyfriend rest his own head onto his side, squeezing him slightly as if to tell Roderich that he didn't mind.

Ludwig let out a benign scoff, but nevertheless rested his head onto Roderich's, and nestled a bit closer to him. It was in that manner that the three watched the movie, the German teen's loneliness dissipating at the warmth and contact.

* * *

><p>"It's nice out here..." Roderich could see his own breath come out as they lay down on the front lawn. The movie had ended not too long ago, and the other couples plus Ludwig were inside, watching the broadcasted countdown on TV. Antonio had insisted that he and Roderich be allowed a small, private moment outside, but as of yet he hadn't done anything besides suggest that they watch the sky as they usually did.<p>

"Yeah... Um..." Beside him, Antonio fidgeted with his pocket, before he fidgeted with the other, and then went into a full-blown panic. "Wh-Where's the...!?"

Roderich sighed. "It's probably inside... Why don't we go back and look for it?"

"No!" As his boyfriend raised an eyebrow, he felt a bit bad at his loud outburst. "Uh... Just... Stay here, and I-I'll be back in like a minute!"

He ran inside and scrambled down the stairs hastily. As he turned the corner, he was aware of his eyes widening as he ran into Ludwig before they both fell down in a mess. "Sorry! I-I'm in a rush!"

Ludwig pulled himself up and started, "I know... I was just about to go and give this to you. I found it on the couch... You must have dropped it."

Slyly, Gilbert popped out beside his brother and grinned. "Yeah, I finally got to sneak a look. I thought it'd be nicer, Antonio, 'specially the, er, chain."

"Y-You saw it...?!" Antonio wasn't sure how he felt at the moment. _Only I was supposed to see it before Roddy... But it's just Gil... But he said it wasn't nice, and what if he's right..._

"Knock it off, bruder. ...I mean, brother." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the box, handing it to Antonio and explaining, "No one's seen it. I was the first to find it, I'm certain."

He took the box and felt his insecurities grow. He half-turned towards the stairs, but stopped himself at the last moment. His eyes were almost pathetic as he began uncertainly, "Um... Maybe you guys should take a look... What if he doesn't like it?"

Gilbert's mirth died down as he scratched the back of his neck. "I was just kidding... Lud's right, I didn't actually see it."

The albino's attention was distracted as Elizaveta grabbed him, saying, "There's only like a minute to go!"

Antonio felt his insides mush up uncomfortably. _I-I have to go! Or else I'll be late! Even if he doesn't like it... _He turned back to go up the stairs, but was tugged by the arm firmly by Ludwig. He looked at the other teen in confusion, who shrugged lightly.

"Don't worry so much, Antonio. I'm sure he'll love it. You picked it, after all." He patted the Spanish teen's back fondly as if to send him off, but he didn't take the hint.

"Will you... look at it for me? Just to tell me if it's okay?" Antonio's fingers reached to open the box, but Ludwig's hand rested upon his decisively. His eye caught the German's intense, deep blue gaze. They softened in compassion as he shook his head.

"It's fine, Antonio. Go, hurry. It's almost midnight!" He prodded him forward again, prompting Antonio to finally run up without a second glance.

As he reached the open door in a rush, he could hear a ruckus downstairs as the new year officially began. He felt his knees wobble defeatedly as he slowed to a a drag before the concerned Roderich. Vaguely, he was aware of the sky lighting up with bursts of fireworks, but he paid them no mind. He opened the box and placed the necklace around Roderich's neck as if it were a medal ceremony.

"Sorry... I missed the new year with you. I hope you... like the necklace..."

Roderich felt spellbound as he examined the necklace along his neck, which glinted gold under the rainbow sparks of light. He felt the small heart pendant with his fingers as he swelled with emotion inside.

He felt himself speak up. "Look at me..." Antonio, who had been avoiding his gaze ashamedly, reluctantly glanced up. "I do like the necklace. And don't feel bad about 'missing the new year'. If anything, you were less than 5 seconds late. Now come on, didn't you want to watch the sky with me?"

Antonio hesitantly began to smile, and at that, Roderich pulled him close for a sensual kiss. After a few moments, he pulled back and gazed at his boyfriend's shining verdant eyes. He pressed his forehead against the other teen and let out softly, "Love you..."

Antonio's smile grew at the admission. He sighed happily, "I guess I was wrong to get all mopey. Gilbert pretended that —"

Roderich cut him off with a small snort. "Anton'... We can talk later. Right now let's just take in this moment..."

Antonio stopped talking and took in his surroundings obediently. The sky constantly lit up with various colours mixing together with the sound of _booms_and sparks fizzing, painting the night with a temporary blast of colour. He could feel Roderich's head start to rest on his shoulder, and unconsciously he placed his own head onto his boyfriend's. It really was an experience to behold with Roderich by his side.

Minutes passed with sparks of light until they abruptly faded to nothing. After a few minutes of nothingness, Antonio broke the silence. "By the way... Love you too. C'mon, let's go inside." Despite his own words, he stayed beside his boyfriend. A small bit of time passed before Roderich spoke up.

"...Antonio?"

"What? And we really should head inside now..." Again, the Spaniard made no movements to go inside.

"In a bit. Can we... stay out for a bit first?"

"And do what?" Antonio turned to face his boyfriend inquisitively.

"...I dunno. Stuff."

Antonio's felt himself grin widely at the vagueness. "Sure, we can stay out here for a bit more. Who am I to deny my boyfriend some hugs and kisses? Haha, get it, it's like the chocolate! ...Aw, I wish I had some right now..."

Roderich turned his head and began to lean in closer, his face blushing in embarrassment on his boyfriend's behalf. He felt the need to declare, "You talk too much..."

"Sorry." Antonio didn't look the least bit sorry. He leaned in until their lips were barely apart from each other. "Will you accept some hugs and kisses as an apology?"

He rolled his eyes and protested slightly, "You _really _talk too much."

Antonio sighed and half-pouted. "Can I say one more thing?"

"...Fine."

"Happy new year."


	14. Ch 14

"Roddy?"

Roderich let out a frightened yelp, jumping, as he heard his boyfriend's voice. He hastily stuffed his boyfriend's gift away as Antonio stepped further into his room.

"What's inside that box?"

Antonio sat himself down onto the bed and leaned over, curiously, prompting the pianist to sigh. Roderich abruptly stood up from his position on the floor and pulled his boyfriend's arm insistently. "Come on, aren't we supposed to leave now?" the Austrian prodded.

Antonio shrugged defeatedly, "Yeah, but..." It was obvious he was itching to find out what was in the box.

"...There's nothing in it. Not yet, anyways. Now let's go!" He ignored the Spanish teen's confused and somewhat distressed look and pushed him out of the room before he shut the lights and closed the door.

* * *

><p>"Okay, people, listen up!" Michelle's voice washed over them all as they hung around the slide, full of authority. It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon, with the clouds covering up most of the sun, and a light, cool breeze flowing through the lukewarm air. Their bags lay upright on the ground in a pile beside the playground apparatus as they stood around a slide.<p>

Ever the rebel, Gilbert felt the need to bite out, "Who put you in charge?"

Roderich felt his respect for the girl spike up immensely as she turned to the German, completely undeterred. "I'm student council president. I'm used to being in charge, so it only makes sense, doesn't it?"

Gilbert stuttered, "W-Well... Hurry up, then!" He let out an unsatisfied huff. Clearly, he wasn't used to people being unaffected by his demeanour.

She smiled easily. "Right then. Since we have an uneven number of people, I propose that we elect two captains. The captain that chooses second will be allowed to choose the last remaining two people." She looked around the group briefly. "Is that okay with everyone?" Seeing no objections, she continued, "Okay. I think Antonio should be a captain. He can elect the other captain, and he can choose whether he picks first or second."

The Spaniard beamed. "This is why I like it when you come on my birthday!" He didn't seem to notice Gilbert's stage whisper to Elizaveta, prompting them both to snicker, as he surveyed the group in interest. He wanted someone who'd be a worthy opponent... His eyes landed on the tallest, and most built, among them. "Ludwig! You can be the other captain!"

The blond German stepped forward slightly, uneasy from the very loud and vocal Alfred's whines. "Awww! I wanted to be captain..."

Antonio instantly felt guilty. Before he could say anything, Arthur cut in, "It's fine, Antonio. Maybe he can be captain for another game."

"Okay... Um..." He was torn. Should he go for first pick, and quality, or outright quantity? As his eyes met Roderich's, he made up his mind. _Of course I want quality! Just like Roddy! _"I want first pick! And I choose..." He paused for what he hoped was dramatic emphasis. "Roddy!"

Just before the Austrian stepped forward, his face blushing lightly with a faint smile, his figure illuminated by the soft sunlight peeking through the clouds, Gilbert opened his mouth. "No, no, no." The red-eyed teen stepped between the two, and turned to face Antonio. "Sorry, birthday boy, but no couples are allowed to be on the same team. That's what you said at my birthday party, remember?!" he ended scathingly.

"Eh..." Antonio reluctantly recalled that day when he had opposed Gilbert choosing Elizaveta. "...But that was 'cause if you were both on the same team, you'd have been stacked!" He saw his boyfriend glare at him from his peripherals, and hastily amended, "Not that you aren't really good, either! I-It's just that Eliz—"

Arthur cut his blabbering off without hesitation. "I agree with Gilbert. It'd be less... distracting if couples were on different teams." He unsuccessfully tried to ignore Alfred's wailing, and then patted the American on the back almost gingerly. He wracked his brains for something to say to comfort Alfred. "...Er, at least this way, you can chase after me? Or, well, I guess I might be chasing after you..." He shook his head. "...What should be our time limit? Around an hour would be suitable, I'd say..."

Michelle jumped in again. "How about one hour? That should be a fair amount of time, and we've still got a whole afternoon ahead." When no one voiced any complaints, she continued, "As for the couples thing, I guess that's a decent rule... So, if either of you two pick someone who's in a couple, the other will automatically be assigned to the other team. People not in relationships, like me or the twins, aren't affected by this. And we can choose which team is what once we're done picking people. So... It's your turn, Antonio." As he stood there in thought, she suggested, "But if you _really _wanted, I guess you could pick Roderich."

He sighed heavily, and, in Michelle's opinion, overly dramatically. "It's fine, it's only fair to Gil..." He looked as if he had a set of dumbbells on his shoulders as he let out another sigh at Gilbert's triumphant smirk. "I guess I'll choose... Er..."

"You better not pick me, you fu—" Romano was cut off by a truck's honk in the distance.

Antonio's mood instantly lit up at the idea. "Romano! You can be with me!" He reached over and pulled the Italian by the arm gently. He wasn't worried anymore. As long as he had a good team that functioned well together, he'd win! Even if he didn't have Roddy, he was sure things would turn out well.

"Ludwig! Ludwig! Choose me!" Feliciano was jumping up and down excitedly, hoping to be picked by the German.

Ludwig debated between choosing a crushingly good team, or sparing his friend and being a bit more fair. After a small battle in his mind, he decided to go with the latter. He looked over his options. He couldn't choose his brother or Elizaveta... And he couldn't choose Feli, becaus—

"Pleeease! I-I'll cook you anything you want! I'll give you a friends-and-family discount!" Feliciano cut his thoughts off with his whines and bribes.

Seeing no other headache-less option, he sighed. "Okay, Feli..."

Antonio patted the bubbly boy on the head fondly, before he started, "Okay, Gil, you're with me!" The albino sighed and made his way beside the Spaniard as his girlfriend stood, bored, by his twin brother.

Ludwig called out in his deep baritone, "Alfred, I pick you." Obediently, the American bounded over to his side while Arthur slunk his way to Antonio.

"Francis!" With an obliging little bow, the French teen casually walked over to his two best friends as if he had all the time in the world. Matthew gave a hesitant smile to Ludwig as he stood beside his excited twin.

"Um..." Antonio looked at the remaining three. He could only choose either Feliks or Michelle... "...Michelle."

She walked over to him, grumbling slightly. "At least try to sound excited..."

Feliks and Roderich walked over to Ludwig. The Polish teen called out loudly, "Oh, don't worry, I'm used to being picked last, it doesn't sting at all!" He locked eyes with a sheepish Antonio petulantly. "You'll regret not choosing me..." On that ominous note, the teen tossed his straight hair over his shoulder and let out a small huff.

Michelle shrugged. "We should be happy that people underestimate us." She turned to Antonio. "Okay, so what'll it be? Are we cops, or robbers?"

"Robbers!" Antonio let out happily. He loved the thrill of narrowly evading others, and rescuing teammates.

Francis stepped forward to address everyone. "Alright, firstly, ze boundaries are the sidewalks of this block. We can't pass over the sidewalks. Second, the jail will be right around here." He pointed to the general area around the slide. "Lastly, for right now we'll spend a minute here discussing tactics... After that, you guys will have to close your eyes and count to 60. Our minute of planning starts now." Dramatically, he pulled out his phone and —

"Wait! Cell phones! We need rules about those!" Feliks burst out. When everyone turned to him, he shrugged, and mused, "I can't believe how uncomplicated things were back when we had no cell phones. We need rules for these now, or else it could be unfair for the robbers." He turned to Michelle and explained, "If a robber overheard us while captured, it'd be kind of unfair, right?"

Michelle merely paused for a small second in thought before she started, "All right. Cell phones are a nice twist... Anyone can use them, except if you've been captured. Fair?"

Gilbert grumbled, "I guess..." He'd been hoping no one would bring them up so that he could exploit it for his team and win.

Francis nodded importantly, and repeated, "Alright. Our minute of planning starts now!" He started a timer, before he turned to his teammates.

Michelle wasted no time at all getting to the point. "Okay, listen to me, fools! We can't waste any time. Their team's better than ours. They have more numbers, and Alfred, Ludwig, and Elizaveta. We only have Antonio and Gilbert. Luckily for us, we have the innate advantage as robbers. Vice-prez, give me a report."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "This isn't a student council meeting..." he muttered under his breath, but nonetheless listened intently.

For his part, Arthur didn't even bat an eyelash at Gilbert's grumbling. "Four of us should be in pairs. The other two should act as lone agents. Our goal is to hide out for the hour, and, if absolutely necessary, to rescue captured comrades."

"Er, you guys might be taking this a bit too seriously..." Gilbert glanced over to the other team, which was a ruckus. He felt a twinge of sympathy for his twin as he tried to capture the group's attention unsuccessfully.

Arthur ignored him and continued, "We need good hiding places; places that are prime to rescue anyone captured, with good vantage points and escape routes, and that aren't obvious are the best. I think that great tree across the field is _not _a good spot. It's too obvious." Thoughtfully, he added, "Well... It'd be an excellent place for a distraction because of the openness of the field. Maybe for when most of us are captured..."

"Great. Thanks, Arthur. As for pairs, me and you, and Antonio and Romano should be fine. Gilbert and Francis, you two'll be alone. One of you should go there if things look hopeless to buy someone else some time for a chance to rescue the others." She glanced at Francis's phone and grimaced. "No more time...! 'Kay, we'll decide on hiding places as we run!"

Barely a second after she had finished talking, Francis called out to them all, "Okay, time's up!" He explained, "The sixty seconds start once you've all closed your eyes and started counting together!" At that, his team scrambled off as Ludwig struggled to control his team.

* * *

><p>After a few seconds of precious time, Ludwig had managed to get his team in line. If what little Roderich had overheard — something about reports and student council...? —meant anything at all, it seemed that the most serious of them were the ones being riled up the most. Ludwig was breathing proof of that, right in front of him, as he commanded like a drill sergeant.<p>

"All right," his voice rose to a yell, "Men!" He glanced at Elizaveta. "...And lady! Right now, we're going over tactics!" He wasn't vice-captain of his football — rather, soccer — team for nothing.

Matthew piped up uncertainly, his hand raised as if they were in class, "Um... C-Can I say something?" At Ludwig's nod, he lowered his hand and dutifully began, "I think we should be in two pairs and a trio, for now... Until we capture one or two of them, it'd be useless to guard the jail. Also, if we're in small groups, it's easier to catch them."

"Whoa, you're so smart, Matt!" Alfred gaped at his twin in impressment, prompting the Canadian to redden slightly at the praise.

Feliks piped in, "Like, once we capture one of them, the group that got them should guard the jail. Once another team returns, they can switch off."

"Alright, that sounds good. How should we split up?" Ludwig looked everywhere but at the Italian, who was likely pleading with puppy-like eyes.

Elizaveta suggested, "How about me and Alfred, and Feliks and Roderich, as the pairs? You three can stay together."

Alfred and Feli piped in their agreement. "Yeah! We'll be the hero all-star alpha pair that brings in the baddies!"

"As long as I'm with Ludwig, I'm okay!"

Ludwig shrugged his big shoulders. As long as he wasn't alone with Feli, it'd be fine...

Alfred butt in in his leader-voice. "Alright, guys, let's go and get 'em!"

* * *

><p>Antonio peered over the window sill curiously. Inside the elementary school with Romano by the stairwell, he could see the opposing team split off into three groups and wander off in different directions. He said back to Romano, "Looks like we're fine for now. No one's coming this direction..."<p>

The fiery Italian snapped, "Obviously! I'm the best at hiding. Feli and his team will take forever to find us!" He pulled out his phone and started to play a game where plants attacked some zombies. For a few minutes, Antonio watched him happily with a small smile on his face. As he completed a level, he scolded the older teen. "Pay attention to outside! Make sure we don't get caught!"

Bemused, the Spaniard nevertheless listened to the boy and resumed watch.

* * *

><p>After they had split up, he and Feliks hadn't found anything or anyone. It had been about half an hour and apparently they had only managed to capture Michelle. As he wandered around with an eerily quiet Feliks, Roderich felt his phone buzz.<p>

_Don't be so loud1!1!_

"Okay," he let out quietly. Feliks started typing in his phone again, a small frown on his face.

_Whisper!1 People expect me to be loud, nd were gonna prove tem wrong!_

"...'Kay. But I'm not going to waste a text for this." He shook his head in amusement at the other's tactics. The pair wandered into the boy's washroom on their tiptoes.

Feliks ducked down, his hair brushing along the floor, as he craned his neck to try and see if anyone was hiding in the stalls. His face began to sport a vicious grin as he called out, "I know you're here..."

When they received no response, Feliks confidently strode over to the one closed door and began to hit it with his hand. "Open up! We've caught you already, so give it up!"

Curious, Roderich bent down and looked into the stall, only to see nothing. "Er... It's empty," he offered lamely.

Feliks spun around in shock. "What?!" He ducked down again, onto his knees, and peered under the gap. Defeatedly, he sighed. "Yeah, you're right... I dunno, was I having a blond moment?" He gestured for Roderich to follow him as he walked out the washroom only to hesitate as they exited. A few steps away after, Feliks started quietly and slowly, "...I'm gonna go back and check. Wait here, I'll be quick."

Roderich nodded, and not even ten seconds later, he heard a familiar French voice curse. "_C'est vraiment des conneries!_" A few seconds after, Feliks stepped out proudly, with a sulking Francis beside him.

"I was right! Haha, people always think I'm just a dumb blond, but they're wrong!"

None of them noticed Gilbert skulking behind the dumpsters, watching them intently.

* * *

><p><em>Francis just got caught. I see him walking with Feliks and Rod.<br>_  
>Antonio was torn between feeling happy for Roderich and Feliks, and feeling disappointed for his teammate. He settled for disappointment, and forlornly let a now-bored Romano know, "Francis got caught..."<p>

Romano looked up at him, unaffected. "So? We're more than halfway through. If this is all they've got, that's pathetic, and we'll definitely win." He let out a cruel laugh. "Figures that the German would lead his team badly! We'll never get caugh—!"

The words had just left his mouth when they heard the door down below open, and Romano clutched his mouth shut with his hands, paling. Quickly, he picked up his phone and followed after Antonio up the stairs.

They heard Matthew suggest softly, "Let's check the stairs..."

As if in response, Romano let out a small 'eep!' and tripped on the stairs with a stumble. At the sound, they heard footsteps start to thunder up the stairs, and, in a panic, Antonio scooped up Romano and set him on his feet hurriedly. "Run! We'll split up!"

Lacking a retort, the Italian nodded mutely, and scrambled off after the older teen. The soccer player threw the second floor door open, and ushered the boy in frantically, letting out in a hiss, "Go there!" He pointed to the dark, unlit library, before he ran off without a second glance.

Obediently, Romano entered the library and hid behind the checkout desk, his heart pounding. Not a minute later, he heard the door open, the sound loud in the silent library. He forced himself to barely breathe as he overheard Ludwig say, after a minute of searching the aisles, "I don't think anyone's here. Let's go back; I think Francis and Michelle've been caught as well." The other two, plus Antonio, obediently followed him out, the door sliding shut softly.

He tried to think straight. _It's my fault Antonio got caught! I've gotta save everyone, or else we'll lose! _Determined, he pulled out his phone and began to text Gilbert.

_You gotta help! Remember what Michelle said about the tree distraction?_

Not even ten seconds had passed before his phone buzzed. _What's up? What happened?_

The Italian caught himself. He was acting like a child! _I'm not a little kid! Tch, come on, Romano_, he scolded himself. He typed in more calmly, _Francis, Michelle, and Antonio are caught. I don't know about Arthur, I don't have his number._

A few minutes passed before his phone buzzed again. _Arthur's about to go down. It's just you and me, then. So what's your plan, exactly?_

* * *

><p>Antonio lit up at the sight of his boyfriend. After Ludwig had brought him to the slide, and taken guard like a hawk, they had spotted Roderich and Feliks along with a disgruntled Arthur in tow. As the trio came to the slide, Arthur explained sullenly to a disappointed Michelle, "I was trying to avenge you, but these two caught me before I could get close."<p>

Michelle explained to Antonio, who looked lost, "Alfred and Elizaveta had us cornered, so I pushed Arthur up and out the window, and sacrificed myself in the girl's washroom to save him."

Antonio nodded, as if she hadn't just said a ridiculously theatrical line. Roderich wondered how they all could say and hear things like that with perfectly straight faces.

At that moment, Alfred and Elizaveta came running up to them, breathless. She explained excitedly to the rest of her team, "We found Gil and Romano! They're both hiding out by the tree!"

Not fully believing his sister, Roderich reasoned, "Why would they do that? They're the only two left..."

She actually stamped her foot on the ground like a spoiled princess. "Come on, you guys! You'll see, it's as clear as day!" At the lack of movement, she offered, "Okay, we'll leave _one_guard. Now let's go!"

As the others followed her, Ludwig reluctantly asked Feliciano, "Can you stay behind?" At the visible hesitance, he prompted gently, "We won't be long."

"Okay." Feli obediently sat up on the slide and dutifully took watch over the four remaining teens.

Arthur let out a huff. "This is it... We're done for." He rested his head back on a wooden beam as if he were a thief who had been hopelessly surrounded by police officers.

Francis checked his phone timer. "There's less than seven minutes left... I do hope they managed to pull off some sort of plan."

Antonio sighed. "We can't give up yet. There's still a chance..." His words sounded hollow even to himself. As the four of them, excluding Feli, started to whine and mope, Antonio saw a slight movement in the bushes. A familiar patch of hair rose, revealing a stubborn curl, before it disappeared back into the foliage. His spirit renewed at the sight, and he turned to Feliciano happily.

"Hey, Feli! Er..." He wracked his brain for something to say. "How's it been at work? How're, er, Sadiq and Mr. Roma?"

His ploy worked easily as the Italian fixed his attention on him solely. "It's been great! Grandpa says he wants me and Romano to add things to the menu! And Mr. Annan and Grandpa are the same as always, of course!" He scratched his chin. "I think they've been going out for almost five months now... He's really nice to me and Romano, and he always gets us gifts! I think he's rich," he added as an afterthought.

While he had been talking, Romano had been creeping closer towards them, his focus on the back of his twin's head. His teammates tried to act casual and engage Feli even more.

Francis cut in almost immediately. "Feli, do you like anyone at school? I hear all the girls are crazy about you," he flattered the younger boy.

The boy brightened, and began, "Well, there is this one person..." He paused and turned slightly, before he caught sight of his twin and his eyes widened comically. "Eh?! R-Romano!?" But by then, it had been too late.

Dropping his pretense of stealth, Romano ran the last few feet and tagged Antonio and the others quickly before he ran away from his twin with a cackle. His moment was lost when he tripped on his feet and sprawled onto the ground, a sympathetic Feliciano tapping him lightly before offering a hand.

The older teens hovered a safe distance away, and, after ensuring Romano to be okay, spread throughout the playground. As Francis self-assuredly walked over to the playground exit, Feliks popped out from behind the corner and tagged him once again. As Francis visibly deflated, Arthur let out a surprised cry when Alfred ran from the other exit along the other corner and tagged him.

Not sparing them a second glance, Michelle grabbed Antonio by the arm forcefully and pulled him into a run. "Come on!"

"O-Okay!" He stumbled after her towards and into the school, until they found themselves outside the girl's washroom. He hesitated when she entered, still pulling his arm. "Um..."

She snapped at him, "Come on, do you want to win, or not?! The rest of them —"

The doors beside Antonio opened, revealing a huffing Matthew and Ludwig. As Matthew tagged the dumbfounded Antonio, Elizaveta retreated into the bathroom, still visible to the three males. "Come and get me, suckers!" Her eyes shone manically, absolutely confident in her win. Her smile only grew as Matthew and Ludwig visibly hesitated, uncertain.

As Ludwig sighed and turned around, the door opened once more as Elizaveta walked in beside Feliks. "Allow me," she let out with her teeth bared in a snarl. Inside the bathroom, Michelle started squealing in a panic. Her eyes darted to the too-high open window once before she ran into a stall and shut it, the locking sound audible. The whole scene was reminiscent of the first female victim's hopeless struggle in a horror movie.

Disturbingly similar to a predator, Elizaveta strode in confidently and ducked under, reaching around for a small moment until she finally, successfully tapped Michelle. As they exited the bathroom together, Michelle checked her phone for the time with a sigh. The group walked back the short distance to the playground, only to be greeted by an insistent Francis surrounded by the others.

"When was the last person caught?!" His usually suave demeanour was lacking as he practically harassed them all, his neat hair askew across his face.

Uncertainly, Ludwig began, "L-Less than two minutes ago, I think..."

The French teen let out a victoriously pompous laugh as he brandished his phone and showed them the elapsed time. The game had gone on for about four minutes overboard. Which meant...

Antonio's eyes lit up excitedly. "W-We won! We did it!" It was hard for any of them to stay downbeat at his cheery attitude. He pulled Romano close for a tight hug. "Thanks to you!"

The Italian reddened substantially as he halfheartedly pulled away from the Spaniard's grasp. "L-Lemme go, idiot..."

Gilbert butt in petulantly, "Hey, what about me? I did half the work!"

His indignant statement went unnoticed as Feliks started to pout, "I _told _you guys it was a trap! It wasn't the same shade of black as Romano's jacket!"

Noticing Antonio's expression, Roderich explained, "Gilbert used his jacket and stuffed it so that it looked like Romano was lying on the ground."

Ludwig sighed. "You guys won... Well done, Romano." The praised Italian, lacking a response, burned crimson and fidgeted in Antonio's hold. Gilbert started muttering under his breath about being forsaken, but the blond German easily ignored his twin. With a small, exasperated smile, he continued, "So what're we going to do now?"

Only a small moment of silence passed before Antonio suggested hopefully, "Capture the Flag?" Looking at his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, no one had the heart to turn him down.

* * *

><p>"Whew... What a day!" Antonio threw himself onto Roderich's bed, his upper body bare. Once he had entered the room, he had tossed his shirt to the side as if it were the sole difference between the surface of the sun and the freezing point of water. Beside him, his boyfriend fell onto the bed as well with a huff.<p>

"Yeah... It was unconventional, but quite fun." He couldn't believe they had managed to play three different games that afternoon, with a small snack break in between, before they had headed to Roderich and Elizaveta's house for an early dinner to eat some pizza and a lasagna that Mrs. Carriedo had brought over, prepared in advance.

After a while, the group had begun to leave slowly until just he and Antonio remained. Feliks had insisted that Elizaveta hang out with him and Toris for the rest of the night. His parents were out doing some social networking for business, and so they were completely and definitively alone. He tried not to let the thought get to him too much.

With a sigh, Roderich reluctantly sat up. "Ugh... I have to take a shower. I was sweating so much."

Hopefully, Antonio asked, "Can I take it with you?"

The Austrian averted his eyes from his boyfriend's likely-pleading face. "I didn't mean now... I meant after I give you your present." He reached over to under his desk and pulled out the box from earlier before. He placed it into Antonio's eager hands, before the pianist reached to open his drawer and pull out what looked like a binder, followed by a small, wrapped box.

He heard Antonio lift the lid off of the larger box, followed by his voice. "Um... I don't get it."

Expecting that reaction, Roderich flushed deeply as he handed the other two gifts to his boyfriend, mumbling, "I-It's like a memory box... H-Here, open these two."

"Okay..." As he had thought, Antonio couldn't resist opening the wrapped package first. His confusion was evident in his voice as his movements stilled. "...A camera?"

"L-Look at the other one..." Roderich's head was turned to the side, as if Antonio was standing by the door instead.

He heard a small bit of shuffling on the bed, followed by the flip of a cover from the album. Instantly, Antonio let out a wistful sigh at the sight of them kissing in the photo. He had asked Elizaveta for a copy of the picture Gilbert had taken after he had mused about how they barely had any photos together. "I remember this..." Roderich felt himself poked by his boyfriend. "So are you asking me to fill up the album with pictures of us?"

Roderich toyed around with his necklace, a new habit he had acquired when nervous. "Sort of..."

"What about the box? I still don't get that." The Spaniard placed the camera box and album aside onto the desk before he leaned his head onto the Austrian's shoulder.

Roderich grew rigid at the proximity from sheer nerves, but forced himself to relax and explain. "It's... Y-You can put whatever you like in the box..." He swallowed. "Like... Things that are important to you. Things that remind you of... things that are important to you." _Ugh, could I get more pathetically repetitive than that?_

He felt Antonio's breath against him. "So if I wanted... I could put the album in there?" He nodded. "When I go to bed, I could put the bracelet you got for me there, too..."

His own breath caught in his throat as he gave another nod. He felt Antonio smile against him. "That's pretty sweet of you..."

He forced himself to finish what he had started. "Th-There's more... Just a b-bit..."

"Really?" Antonio leaned back as he sat on the bed, giving Roderich some gracious breathing and thinking space.

He continued shakily, "Th-The reason I gave you these things is because I... d-decided to stay here. F-For university..."

"...Really...?" Antonio's voice was quiet in the silent room.

Roderich let out a breath. "I decided a month ago, but... I thought it'd be... I dunno, special, I guess, to tell you today."

Antonio wrapped him up in a tight hug, his voice muffled as he let out, "This is... I almost can't believe it."

Roderich shrugged weakly, but his voice was steady as he said, "I want to stay here with you."

They sat like that together for a minute before Antonio sighed, like a doctor who had finished a successful surgery. "...You know what I wanna do right now? Sleep on it. I'll probably fully understand everything once I've rested."

Though admittedly he was tired enough to just drop onto his bed and sleep as he was, out of the habit of normally going to bed clean after bathing, Roderich offered, "How about a shower first?"

There was a bit of silence before he responded, "...Can I come?"

Flustered, Roderich snapped lightly, "Only if you get up!"

"Okay!" He bounded after his blushing boyfriend, recalling, "Hey, by the way... You never fulfilled your promise before about sucking my 'lollipop'." He nudged his boyfriend with a too-happy grin, wiggling his eyebrows.

Roderich fumed in embarrassment at Antonio's expression. "It wasn't a promise!" He didn't even deny anything else.

Antonio didn't look that deterred, and persisted, "Okay. How about this..." At the pause, the Austrian turned expectantly only to jerkily snap his head to the side when the Spaniard asked earnestly and cheekily, "_Will _you suck my c—"

"W-We'll see, okay?! Now st-stop talking!" He grabbed the soccer player a bit more roughly than he normally would, and shoved him into the bathroom, following with a crimson face, before the door slammed shut and was quickly locked.


	15. Ch 15

"Hey..."

He turned to the side in response, silent.

"Roddy."

A nudge. He slapped the insistent hand away, but called out, "I don't wanna talk about it, okay? Let's just rest."

Antonio's voice tentatively tried again. "...But I just wante—"

"I'm sorry, okay?! I thought it'd be easy! I didn't mean to bite you, and I feel like an idiot now!" Roderich burst out, fuming and embarrassed and guilty and altogether feeling as though he'd like to crawl into a hole and never come out again.

There was a pregnant pause after he had snapped. Gradually his own feelings centered on himself faded as his guilt grew. It wasn't Antonio's fault that he had... He swallowed. "...Sorry. I just..." He didn't know how to continue. _It was a reflex? I suck at sucking? You're longer than I can handle? I can't handle anything at all?_

Antonio gave him a while to think before he said carefully, "I just wanted to say I'm not mad, and I don't blame you." At the lack of response, the Spaniard pulled his boyfriend closer, who sighed and allowed himself to be held.

After a moment, he asked, "Wanna come to the school fair with me on Tuesday? It's Valentine's Day..."

Roderich breathed out, "I know. And yes, we can go."

The soccer player pressed a kiss to the back of his head. "Good." As he felt his eyes start to close, he tried to stay awake. Reluctantly, he sat up on the bed. "...Can I say something?" He felt it was important to say before he slept.

"...What is it?"

"Er..." _Courage, Antonio! He's your boyfriend, you can talk to him about anything! _"I did the same thing that you did."

He heard an aggravated groan. "Can we _not_, please?"

Antonio persisted, "Just let me say this and we can go and sleep." He took the silence as a sign of Roderich listening. "One time — well, actually, two times — when I was sucking Ludwig's c—"

Roderich smacked his back weakly but fixed him with a poisonous glare. "Can you _not _bring him up right now, please?" It sounded less like a questioning request, and more like an imperiously ominous order.

Still, he boldly continued. "I bit a guy twice down there, just like how you did. It's not easy, Ludw—Er..." He faltered slightly at another glare. "Someone told me that he's been bitten there a lot by accident. And anyways, this time it was probably my fault for pushing in! There, that's all I wanted to say." He lay back down on the bed decisively, satisfied he had done what he thought was necessary. It was a few moments before Roderich spoke up.

"...Okay. Sorry for being so irritable..." The Austrian looked over by his bedside nightstand at the time, and sighed. "You should probably head home now, actually. If we rest now, we'll probably fall asleep for the whole night."

Antonio failed to suppress a yawn. "It's fine, my Mama'll let me stay over."

Roderich's reluctance was obvious. He wanted to make his boyfriend's birthday as special as it could be, but... He sighed, and tried to compromise. "...Okay, but... We can't sleep together." He'd feel mortified if his parents walked in and found Antonio sleeping over, without asking prior for permission, with the two of them on the same bed. The pianist could just imagine his Dad walking in and waking him up, demanding to know why the Spaniard was staying over. He tried to explain but ended up rambling, "My Dad's kind of scary, and I don't want him to get mad, and he might not even let you stay over if I ask, but it's your birthday, so I'll just kind of sneak you over, and—"

Antonio cut him off, his face understanding. "It's okay, I can just go home." He started to rise, but Roderich practically pushed him back down onto the bed.

"But it's your birthday, and you _want _to stay over! Just... I'm sorry I can't... I wish I could, but..." he broke off into silence.

Lamely, he moved over to the couch and sighed. "Please stay... I'd be happy to let you stay over, and you want to, as well. Maybe... Maybe we can sleep together next time." As he settled into the couch, he let out, disappointed in himself, "Sorry..."

Antonio's voice was soothing yet firm. "It's okay. I'll stay over, you're right. Sorry to be such a trouble..." His voice started to quiet near the end.

"Don't be silly. Go sleep, your eyes are practically closing by themselves." He got up tiredly and turned off the lights before he fell down onto the couch. As he settled in, he called out, "Antonio?"

"Yeah?" The Spaniard audibly yawned.

"Good night, and... Happy birthday." As his eyes drifted shut, he added, "I'm lucky to have you..."

He heard his boyfriend call out quietly, "Lucky to have you, too."

In response, though his words were slurred by sleepiness, Roderich said, "Love you..."

He might have just imagined it, as he drifted to sleep, but he thought he heard Antonio say, "Love you, too..."

* * *

><p>As the last bell rang, students piled out of classrooms and flooded the hallways with their chatter and presence. Roderich found himself squeezing through, eager to find Antonio and spend time with him for the rest of the day. As he rounded the corner to his boyfriend's locker, he found an animated Antonio and equally enthusiastic Alfred.<p>

"Hey!" Alfred waved excitedly to him. As he walked over to them, the sandy blond started to babble. "I was telling Antonio that we're going to hang out today! It'll be a double date!" He pulled Roderich by the arm, who let out an undignified squeal of surprise, as he started down the stairs, while Antonio bounded over to follow them both.

"No one wants to hang out with me today, especially Matt, 'cause I accidentally spilled Coke on his laptop," he explained with a whine, "But Antonio said you guys would come with us." He added with a childish huff, "There was a warranty anyways, and it's not like he lost any data..." as if that excused him fully.

Antonio's pleading eyes shone with relief when the Austrian let out reluctantly, "Okay, but what're we going to do?"

He gave a shining white smile. "I dunno!" Alfred's self-assuredness made it seem as if he had just told them a detailed, flawless business plan. "Anyways, Artie's been waiting for me at the front, 'cause I've been looking for some people up 'til now, so we should hurry up." He dragged Roderich along faster.

As they reached the front of the school, they saw Arthur pointedly ignoring Francis and talking with a wildly gesturing Matthew. At the sight of his twin, Matthew visibly fumed red, shuddering with nearly foreign anger, and grabbed a surprised Francis almost violently before storming off. Arthur turned around at the action, noticing the three of them approaching. "Oh. Hello." He faced Alfred with an unpleased look. "Matthew was telling me about how you broke his laptop and keep on pestering him. He wanted me to tell you to stop, since you're not listening to him at all."

Alfred had the decency to look slightly ashamed. "Okay... Since it's you, maybe I'll give him a little space," he sighed as if he had just donated his yearly income to an undeserving foundation.

Satisfied, Arthur started, "Right then. Shall we head off to someplace?" Arthur reached into his wallet, presumably to grab some bus fare, but Antonio eagerly cut in.

"We can take my car! Anywhere's fine for us, right?" Antonio glanced toward his boyfriend, who nodded. "Where d'you want to go, Arthur?"

Alfred parroted, "Yeah, where d'you want to go, Artie?"

As the three watched him expectantly, Arthur shrugged uncertainly, "How about my place? I'd quite like to relax and drink some home-brewed tea..."

"Okay!" Antonio grinned easily.

"Yeah! I love your house, it's awesome!" At his boyfriend's praise, Arthur's usual slightly-pissed-off scowl quirked into a small smile.

* * *

><p>As Antonio's car settled to a halt, following the British teen's tentative directions, the four found themselves in front of what was practically an estate. At Antonio and Roderich's unintentional staring, Arthur coughed, "M-My father was the heir to a dukedom..."<p>

Only Roderich seemed to understand how amazing that fact was. "What?! No way..." While they exited the car and approached the front door, he asked, "What do you mean he 'was' the heir?"

Arthur grew a wistful look as he explained, "It's quite romantic. My father fell in love with my mother, an ordinary lady, rejecting princesses, heiresses, and duchesses all the while. My grandfather wasn't pleased, and my father grew tired of his continued interference even after all these years, so... They eloped here with us a few years ago. My aunt's the heir, now." He scratched his head in a bit of thought, musing to Roderich, who was the only one listening fully, "Ironically, it's only because my mother did this that my grandfather respects her now. Funny, isn't it?"

Before they even knocked, the door opened, revealing what looked to be a taller, red-headed Arthur lookalike. "Hey, Alfred! Haven't seen you in a while!"

Arthur smacked his brother on the arm, his tone reprimanding as he said, "Don't be rude! He was here last week, anyways." He turned to them and introduced, "This is my brother, Scott. This is Roderich, and this is Antonio..." He gestured to them in turn.

"H-Hi..." Antonio let out shyly.

Roderich groaned inwardly. _Not again_... He was tired of Antonio getting bashful over other older males. He reigned in his manners. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

The man smiled at them. "It's nice to meet you guys, too. Anyways, I was just about to go." He addressed Arthur, "Remember the Belgian girl?"

"...You mean Laura?" the blond offered lamely.

"Yes, yes, her. We're going on a date today! Speaking of which..." He glanced at his watch. "I'm gonna be late!" He ran off to the extensive driveway towards a sleek silver car. "See you guys!" The man disappeared into the car and drove off hastily.

"It sucks that he's straight..." Antonio muttered.

Bemused, Arthur corrected, "He likes guys and girls, actually." He wondered aloud, "Why is it that no one thinks that bisexual people exist? I swear, it's absurd..." He turned to the Spaniard and shrugged. "If you thought he was good-looking, you should see Liam. He actually likes guys, and he's closer to our age." As an afterthought, he added, "He's quite sloppy, though."

Antonio let out a breathy whining sound. "_Aw_, I-I wanna see Liam!"

The British teen humoured him. "Well, let's go inside, then." As they entered and placed their shoes by the side, he confessed, "Actually, I don't think he's awake right now. He works night-owl shifts and pretty much sleeps during the day."

"Is someone talking about me?" They heard movement from the kitchen before a sleepy-eyed man — no, _hunk_— appeared by the kitchen doorway in front of them. His short, dark hair stuck up messily, but only seemed to accentuate his relaxing charm. His eyes seemed to sharpen as they opened further to reveal stunning verdant eyes, creased at the edges as he smiled widely, showing off his captivatingly white and straight teeth, a dimple appearing on one of his cheeks. Roderich only realized he was staring at the man's black shirt, outlining sizeable arms and a broad upper body as well as a slim torso, when he spoke again with a soothing, embarrassed laugh that washed over his senses.

"Haha, I'm not used to this kind of attention..."

He slapped himself into focus, noticing Arthur roll his eyes exaggeratedly, while Antonio ogled the sheepishly blushing man. Arthur introduced them again, "This is my soccer teammate Antonio... And this is my friend Roderich. C'mon, you two. I'll make us all some tea."

He dragged Antonio, who was still blatantly eying the raven-haired male with awe, by the arm with him into the kitchen, and started to brew some tea.

"Er, so..." Liam seemed to be trying to find something to talk about, his eyes wandering until they landed on an open bag of chips. He brightened at the sight, and grabbed the bag. "I was just eating when you guys came. Want some?" he offered, shaking the bag enticingly.

Alfred's eyes widened before he scrambled for the bag as Antonio and Roderich inched closer and they all started to eat. In no time, the bag emptied as Arthur bustled about around the kitchen and called, "Save some for me." After he had set up the kettle, Arthur walked over to them and stuck his hand in the bag. "Gimme some..." He frowned and retracted his hand, messed with crumbs, before he peered into the bag, scoffed, and tossed it into the trash.

"Fine... I'll just eat this all by myself!" he claimed as they watched him reach into a cupboard below the kitchen island and pull out a large bag of chips. Opening it, he only had eaten a few chips petulantly before he sighed, "I can't eat this junk," and handed them the bag reluctantly. He washed his hands and fretted lightly, "At least use some plates or something, you'll get crumbs all over the ground." He rummaged around below again, and tossed them some paper plates.

Roderich caught them as the other guys shrugged, and placed them delicately on the table. They all sat and Liam poured generous amounts of the snack onto the plate, as well as a heaping pile for himself. After swallowing from a large mouthful, he began, "So why're you guys here?"

Arthur snorted as he placed some cups before them all, "That sounded terribly inhospitable. Alfred wanted to hang out with people so he brought these two along. They left it for me to decide where we would go, and I decided that we could stay here." He grabbed two sugar cubes from a container and dumped them into his tea, stirring quickly, before he passed the package to the rest of them. "Why are you awake, anyways?"

Liam shrugged, "I don't have to work the next few days. They're renovating the store." He grabbed three of the cubes and bit one of them, licking the sugar, before he dumped them all into his tea. Licking his lips with his languorous, pink tongue, he was acutely aware of the two pairs of eyes on him, and protested in embarrassment, "I like sugar, okay? D-Don't look at me like that..." Apparently he'd misconstrued their gaze as critical instead of practically appreciative.

The younger Briton scowled. "This is ridiculous," he muttered. He faced his brother and ordered, "Go away now. We're gonna talk about couple things, so take your chips and tea and sleep or whatever, I don't care."

"Okay, okay..." He grabbed his drink and plate of chips and wandered off, but not without whining slightly, "I wish _I _had a boyfriend..." Before he disappeared from view, he pouted cutely, his dimple apparent again, and then headed to his room up the stairs on the floor above.

"Are _all _your brothers cute and gay?" Antonio asked with a dreamy sigh.

Arthur snapped, "_First_ of all, Scott's _bisexual_. Secondly, _no_. My last brother Isaac, the second-oldest, is straight."

"Hm, four brothers..." Roderich couldn't imagine that. He wondered... "...How old's Liam?"

Seeing Antonio's curious face as well, the British teen moaned in disbelief. "_Seriously_? I can't believe you're both smitten with him, you're a couple!" They had the civility to look slightly amiss. "Anyways... Well, he's nineteen, turns twenty in March."

"What's his job?" Antonio piped in.

With a twitch, Arthur started with a heavy scowl, "_Fine_, I'll answer this question, but no more after this! If you two are _that_interested, you can go ask him yourselves." He huffed before he relaxed after having taken a sip from his tea. "Ah... I feel much better." He turned to the expectant couple. "He works at the 24/7 Starbucks downtown. He says he likes working night shifts because he gets paid more, and it's less stressful." He took another sip and shook his head. "Right then. What shall we do for the rest of the day?"

"I know! We can play that shooting game!" Alfred burst out, as if he had been holding in his speech like it were oxygen and he were underwater, and had reached his breaking point.

"That... James Bond rip off one? We could..." Arthur considered it. "What do you two think?" he asked them and added, "It's quite fun. We can all play at the same time, as well."

"Okay," Roderich let out, as Antonio nodded vigorously.

Alfred bounded off to the entertainment room and set up the game console in a blur of movement. He threw them their controllers and turned the TV on. The main menu for the game appeared after it had started up, and Alfred explained, "We'll be playing Versus mode. We'll start off in teams, and then once you guys are comfortable we can do some free-for-all matches."

At the character select screen, Alfred chose the main male instantly. "Sorry, but I'm _always _him."

Arthur sighed. "It's okay. Unfortunately, there can't be character repeats, but... All the characters are quite good, anyways, it's a balanced game. You two should choose these two..." He pointed to an Asian woman and Indian woman.

"No! I wanna be the guy with the scar!" Antonio refused childishly.

Roderich shrugged and chose one of them while Arthur chose the other. Once they had all finished, Arthur explained the next step. "Now we have to delegate teams... I'll be with you, Roderich. Is that alright?"

Again, he shrugged noncommittally. Alfred took charge decisively. "Okay, I'll team up with Antonio, then. Let's start! You two're gonna lose!"

Roderich hoped Alfred would be wrong, but he couldn't shake the sinking feeling away from his chest that they were going to lose badly.

* * *

><p>"No, go away! I was showing — Tch, this is ridiculous!" Once again, Arthur and Roderich had lost. The other pair cheered and whooped as they were treated with the victory results screen.<p>

"You're just mad you lost, Artie. Don't be a poor sport!" Alfred grinned widely.

Antonio decided to jump in. "It's not our fault we're just so good at this game..." he let out with a sigh as if his only problems in life were that he won too much.

Arthur's teeth visibly clenched by his jaw at the Spaniard's admission. He couldn't let it get to him, he couldn't let it aff—

"Oh, you two lost again?" Liam's voice piped up innocently from behind them in mild surprise. He'd come down shortly after they had started playing, and half-watched them as he read from his laptop. "I'd have thought you'd have won at least _once_."

Arthur took a shuddering breath and forced himself to stay calm. It was just a childish game. He didn't need to get mad over something so silly. With an arrogant huff, he stood and turned, moving past his brother back into the kitchen. Likewise irritated, Roderich followed him, but not before his annoyance melted away from his face, morphing into something akin to amazement at the sight of his too-sexy brother. The younger Briton called out to them, "I'm going to make some scones now. I'm done with that nonsensical child's game."

Eagerly, Liam dived beside the seated two and let out excitedly, "I wanna play! We can do a free-for-all!" As Alfred and Antonio nodded eagerly, he started to babble more. "I haven't played this game with others in so long," he whined. "Oh, by the way, don't eat his scones. They're always burnt," he leaned towards a reddening Antonio in a conspiratorial manner.

He didn't dignify the insult with a response. They only _really _burned to a crisp those few times he had decided to share with his family. Now they were rather decent, if he could say so for himself. Interested, Roderich slid over beside him, musing, "I've never made scones before..."

Arthur was surprised. "You bake?" He wondered what Roderich could make.

The Austrian hummed in response. "Sometimes. I like to bake small fruit cakes for Antonio and myself as of recent. If you like, I could make some today. The ingredients are quite basic, and it's quite relaxing as well."

The blond sucked in an impressed breath. "Really? That's amazing. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to learn."

With a smile, Roderich began, "Okay, here's what we'll need..."

* * *

><p>"And... there. Now we just have to let it cool." As he scooped the finished cake up, he opened the freezer and tossed it in, explaining, "I like to put it in the freezer to hurry it up, but ideally you'd leave it in the fridge for at least an hour." He closed the fridge with a sigh of completion and went to wash his hands. After he wiped them dry and Arthur followed suit quietly, awed into silence, he walked back to watch the other three play the game.<p>

The two watched Liam snipe a bewildered Alfred from afar on the screen. The American's character comically tried running evasively in jerky circular bouts, but it was no use, and his character succumbed to defeat. "That's three in a row!" he crowed happily. Alfred started to mope while Antonio watched the raven-haired teen in reverence.

His stomach rumbled audibly. "I'm hungry," Liam complained. He brightened almost instantly after, and burst out, "Let's order pizza!"

The three seated teens all started to ramble loudly over each other, voicing what they wanted on the pizza repetitively, before Arthur cut them off with a cough. "Uhm... Just so you three know, Roderich made a fruit cake so we should save room for later..."

As Arthur had expected, Liam wiggled his eyebrows. "I like fruit cakes," he grinned. It was clear he wasn't talking just about pastries.

Roderich blushed but said, "W-Well... Arthur helped me out a lot." He tried to ignore Liam's smiling.

Alfred stood and stretched with an exhale. "What're we doing now? I'm tired of losing..."

Antonio sighed theatrically. "I've already lost four times in a row," he admitted forlornly, as if he hadn't been cheekily taunting Arthur and Roderich with Alfred each of the thirteen consecutive times they had lost.

Arthur felt himself ground his teeth together. Now he knew how just how they had felt! He was about to chew out the two of them, but his annoyance quickly shifted when Liam jumped up with a sigh and passed him by, ruffling his hair just for the heck of it. Before he could snap at his brother as he tried to fix his hair in vain, Liam called out over his shoulder, "I'll order us some pizza. Let's play something else while we wait!"

After he had run off, Arthur shook his head with a scowl and said to Roderich, "I can't believe him. He's never like this usually when he gets time off of work." As the Austrian let out a 'hm' in response, he elaborated, "Usually he just sleeps or reads. But I guess it's quite fun for him... I'm glad, in a way." He sighed, "But he is quite annoying to me. All my brothers are."

Roderich shrugged, "I wouldn't know, but... I think I'd have gone crazy if we played that game more. It's nice that he's here."

Antonio reminded him of a bunny as he jumped up and made his way towards them. "Hey, what're we gonna do now? Me and Alfred're _done _with that game. We should've won more," he grumbled.

They ignored the last thing he had said, glancing at each other with irritation clear on their faces, before Roderich started, "We can just talk. My hands are tired..."

Liam walked back into the kitchen, overhearing the last bit, and smirking. Alfred joined them all, slightly confused as he watched Roderich blush, Arthur scowl, and Liam lean towards Antonio and whisper something that had them both snickering. "What's up?"

Rolling his eyes at what he felt was adolescent immaturity, Arthur sighed, "Nothing, Alfred. They're just being silly." He sat heavily onto a nearby chair tiredly. "What should we do now? I'm not in the mood for games."

"Why, 'cause we destroyed you two when we were playing?" Alfred bragged impulsively. It was clear he was still trying to hold on to his sizeable number of victories before Liam had joined them.

With a stern face oddly similar to being constipated, Arthur pointedly ignored his boyfriend and asked the rest of them, "Why don't we just watch a movie..." He moved up, his reluctance obvious, and presumably went to fetch a DVD.

"I think you pissed him off," Antonio pointed out helpfully.

Liam laughed easily, and offered genially, "He's easy to annoy when he's tired. I'll get us some popcorn and drinks for now, though!" He hopped off around the room, gathering cups and a package of microwave popcorn, leaving the three younger teens to themselves.

Alfred shrugged and went to set up the TV again. While he did, Antonio dumped himself onto the couch with a sound of relaxation and patted the space beside him. Roderich sat beside the Spaniard with a sigh, leaning away to the side onto his hand. A few moments of quiet passed between them before Antonio slid over closer in an obvious manner.

"Are you mad at me?"

Roderich snorted. "Of course not. I'm just irritated at you."

Antonio spluttered indignantly, "But that's the same thing!"

"No, it's not." Arthur walked into the room and handed Alfred the DVD case, and turned to them again. "Anyways, we might want to save some room for the pizza later... But I am quite famished. I might be able to eat quite a lot."

Liam tottered in slowly, his hands and arms full of cups, soft drinks, and a large bowl overflowing with popcorn. As he passed them all cups and placed the bowl onto the small glass coffee table, he noted, "The pizza'll be here in ten minutes... Go pour yourselves whatever drink you like. I'll be back with some chips!"

The Austrian shook his head bemusedly but nevertheless poured himself and Antonio some iced tea. "We're eating so much today..."

Arthur sighed as he helped himself to some buttery popcorn. After a few mouthfuls, he sighed again, "I'm going to turn into a ball of fat."

Alfred threw himself beside Arthur and started to stuff himself with popcorn. He wiped his mouth with Arthur's napkin, and consoled him with a half-full mouth. "It's okay, you'll always be cute!" He swallowed and reached for some more of the popcorn while he started the movie.

Liam came back with a new bag of chips, chewing some happily, before he looked at the screen and whined, "Hey, you started without me!"

"I should have known you'd finish that bag from before," his younger brother grumbled.

"Quiet, Brits! The movie's started," Alfred commanded bossily.

Arthur sighed for the umpteenth time that day, but nonetheless he listened to his boyfriend along with the others, and they started to watch the movie with their full attention.

* * *

><p>"I don't even know the actor's name, but I wish we were dating..." Liam let out wistfully.<p>

"You should have checked the credits," his brother scoffed as he turned the lights back on and started to gather the empty plates and pizza boxes diligently.

"I forgot to," he offered sheepishly.

Arthur snorted derisively, before turning to Antonio and Roderich. "It's quite late now. I hope your parents don't mind if you stay a little while longer." He didn't sound too concerned, though, as he placed the garbage away and washed his hands before carefully pulling the cake out and placing it onto the table. Not a second later, as the others were drawn to the treat like moths to a flame, he went off to gather some new paper plates and plastic cutlery, as well as a kitchen knife.

Alfred's eyes lit up in eager anticipation while Arthur cut the cake with precision. The American's hands flung out as he hoped for the first plate, only to withdraw gloomily like a kicked puppy as his boyfriend handed it to Roderich. "Artieee..." he whined. The pure pathetic quality of it struck a chord with Antonio, who could relate to having to resort to such tactics when he really wanted something.

"Thanks for helping me out today. I learned a lot of neat tips," the British teen said, completely ignoring Alfred. It was clear he'd become immune to his boyfriend's whining charm. He handed out two more plates of fruit cake to Antonio and Liam. The Spaniard forgot his empathy towards Alfred as he started to eat the cake, humming happily.

"I should thank you, too," Liam sighed as he took a bite almost seeming to wish he hadn't. He took another bite reluctantly, and as he swallowed, he noticed the Austrian's eyes dim slightly. With another huff of breath, he explained wearily, "I really shouldn't be eating right now. I want to eat, but I'm full, so I'm stuck."

He took a third bite and a fourth, his hand and mouth coordinating as though he were a machine. "It's really yummy, though! It's nice you could help Arthur so he couldn't mess it up." He held out his now finished plate towards his brother, who plunked a slice of cake onto the plate while rolling his eyes. "Thanks!" He started to eat again.

"Well, you're both welcome," Roderich laughed. He finished his portion methodically while the other four dug in quickly and easily. By the time he had finished, the remaining slices of cake had been transferred onto Alfred's plate, who ate seemingly with renewed vigour as if he feared that Roderich would ask for more. Around the table, Antonio sighed as his hand cradled his stomach, while Liam groaned on the table as if he were trying to sleep at a desk at school.

As his eyes wandered to the window, Roderich noticed the dark indigo tinge that seemed to encompass the whole outside. He checked his watch reluctantly. 8:34. It really was getting quite late. He sighed and poked his boyfriend, who almost jolted as if he had been about to sleep. "We really should get going..." he addressed the other three. Alfred nodded, the movement barely perceptible, as he shovelled down a final bite of cake down his throat. Liam just seemed to glance up as if everyone and everything were a disturbance he had long gotten used to, but he said, "'Kay, see you two around..." He let his head fall back onto his hands on the table, grumbling to himself, "I'm such a pig..."

"Er, yeah, see you guys." Antonio waved to them all as Arthur sat up and stretched, following them to the door. After they put their shoes and jackets on, and tossed their backpacks onto their shoulders, Arthur opened the door with a yawn. He covered his mouth a few seconds too late, as if he couldn't be bothered with manners this late on a school night but still wished to have some semblance of polite behaviour. "Come back again sometime, you two."

"Bye," they both let out tiredly as they walked towards Antonio's car. They heard the door close a few feet behind them softly as they entered the car and buckled up. Wordlessly, Antonio started up his car and began to back out of the driveway before smoothly turning onto the street and driving off. Roderich felt himself nodding off as he shuffled around in his seat, trying to get his head and body comfortable. It only seemed like a few moments later when the car halted to a stop and Antonio began to rub his shoulder softly. "Roddy, we're here. I mean, we're at your house."

Feeling like he'd rather write a test the next day than rouse himself awake, he nonetheless opened his eyes unwillingly. He slowly unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over, giving Antonio a brief hug and kiss on the cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day..." He was vaguely aware of his voice sounding like it were an ill omen rather than a nice goodbye as the words suggested.

The soccer player just grinned widely, his straight teeth revealed. "Go to bed, I'll see you tomorrow. You look and sound like you're half-dead," he chuckled. The Spaniard just received a weak glare in response as Roderich halfheartedly slammed the door shut, his body still lethargic. The result was unimpressive as it closed softly, but the Austrian easily forced it from his mind. Right now, the idea of being smothered in his pillows and blankets was too appealing to pass up. At his house's door, he fumbled with his key but managed to slip in a few moments afterwards. Inside his house now, he started to wave to Antonio and close the door, but Antonio lowered his window and shouted, "Your key!"

He looked around confusedly before he realized he'd left it inside the door's lock. He mentally slapped himself, but it seemed he was too tired to actually feel bad over the accident. Removing it, he waved again before shutting the door accidentally harshly. He slid his shoes off by the door neatly, taking note of the presence of Gilbert's shoes. _Well, whatever._ He was too tired to really care about why Gilbert was here.

He trudged upstairs to his room, almost stomping due to lack of discretion from his tiredness. He threw his bag against the wall, which accidentally made a louder sound than intended, as he threw his jacket beside it. A few seconds later, Elizaveta's door burst open, and she popped her head in to his room a few moments after as he changed, pantless. "Oh, good, you're here! I wanna ask you something." She pulled him into her room, seemingly not caring about his lack of pants.

It seemed Gilbert didn't care either as he took note of his girlfriend's brother boredly. "Finally," he let out exasperatedly.

Elizaveta wasted no time getting to the point as Roderich embarrassedly tried to pull his shirt down. "Okay, here's the situation. I want Gilbert to sleep over. In my room. But —" She cut herself off as Roderich rose an eyebrow, and tried to pull herself together, flustered. "It's not sexual or anything!" she almost shrieked.

"Okay, go on. I didn't say it was, anyways." Roderich just hoped she hurried so that he could undress properly and go to sleep.

"By the way, Roddy, it really looks like you're not wearing any underwear when you do that," Gilbert noted with a shrug. Roderich decided after a moment to just ignore him.

Apparently, Elizaveta had the same mindset, as she waved her hand aside, her composure regained. "Whatever. I don't care if he's going commando, or wearing panties, or thigh-highs, or whatever. That's not the point at hand."

She sighed heavily before continuing, "Mom and Dad say they'll let him sleep over if he's in your room. Since they're being hypocrites and whatnot, I've decided it's okay if we resort to trickery. In short, we're going to pad your room with a Gilbert lookalike which I've already prepared." She brandished a pillow which wore a shirt and pants and a white hat. It seemed too generous to call it a lookalike. "Meanwhile, Gilbert will be sleeping on the floor next to my bed, hidden from natural view from the vantage point of my bedroom door," she explained.

"How are our parents being hypocrites?" he asked. He didn't really understand.

She let out an elongated moan as if he were especially slow in the head. Gilbert explained over her unnerving wailing, unfettered, "She wanted Feliks to sleep over, too, but your mom says that Feliks would only be allowed to sleep in your room. See? It just doesn't make sense to the old generation." He sounded oddly wise when he said that, though the effect was somewhat ruined by his baggy shorts and shirt.

"I understand, but... It kind of does make sense from a parent's point of view," he tried to reason with his sister.

She ran a hand through her hair in annoyance. "Yes, but that doesn't mean you should take their side!" She took a shuddery breath before calming, and started again. "Think of it this way. Mom and Dad _know_ you're gay. They _know_ Feliks is gay, because I told them. They _don't_ know that you both have boyfriends. From that view, why would they let him sleep in your room? That's like asking for you guys to have sex with each other. _Also_, why is a straight guy allowed in your room, but a gay guy isn't allowed in mine?"

He could see where she was coming from, but... "Maybe it's because they know I'm responsible, and they know I can't get pregnant?" He felt like an idiot when she glared at him in response.

"I'm responsible too, and we all know it. And we all _know_ I'm on 'the pill'," she said it mockingly in a thick, stereotypically dimwitted voice, "For some dumb reason, anyways. Ugh..." She shook her head, her long hair swaying, before she tossed it over her shoulder and out of her face with an easy flick of her head. She seemed to brighten up easily. "The point is that I want this to happen, and you're going to help me, since you're such a nice brother."

"What if —"

"Gilbert's going to go stay in your room and pretend to sleep until Mom and Dad get home and go to bed, which is probably going to be about 10 minutes, and then another 100 minutes. Once they're in bed, and have gone to bed, we'll initiate the change in Gilberts." She nodded decisively, obviously pleased at her plan.

He felt a yawn coming, and stifled it, sighing. He could feel his eyes begging to be allowed to rest after a day of school and study and losing at some dumb — but fun — video game. "That's great and all, but I just want to sleep right now. You two do whatever you want..." He wandered out of the room sleepily, hearing his sister cheer victoriously. He felt Gilbert ruffle his hair behind him, and say, "I'll be quiet while you get to sleep, and during your sleep as well. I'll be an awesome fake sleep over mate guy! You can even jerk off if you want, I don't care."

"You're weird, Gilbert." He entered his room again with Gilbert beside him, and threw his shirt off, fumbling around for a set of sleepwear. At this point he didn't really care what happened as long as he got to go to bed in the next minute. After placing his glasses by the side, ready for a night of rest, he threw himself onto the bed with a deep sigh of content.

He heard the light in his room turn off, leaving his eyes the option to stay open without being burned. Maybe he was being a bit dramatic, but whatever. "Thanks..." his voice was quiet even in the nearly silent room.

"You're welcome," Gilbert's obnoxious baritone smoothly let out, pompously and overbearingly. "I was just joking about the jerking off part, by the way. If you're gonna do that, you better tell me in advance or do it in the bathroom or something. And if you do decide to jerk off in the bathroom, you better turn the shower on or something so I don't hear you jerk off."

He didn't really have anything to say in retort so he stayed quiet. Eventually he opted for a simple "...Good night."

"Yeah, yeah, don't mind me. I'll just be playing this cool new game I got yesterday. Now go to bed, I wanna play without being distracted by your small talk."

"...Whatever, Gilbert." He shifted into his pillows and closed his eyes again. It wasn't long before he fell asleep into a peaceful slumber.


End file.
